Detection of severe sliding and pitting fatigue wear regimes through the use of broadband acoustic emission

Acoustic emission techniques have been used to monitor severe sliding and pitting fatigue processes during four-ball testing. Results are presented that arose from a collaborative programme between the Naval Research Laboratory (Washington DC) and the University of Wales Swansea, sponsored by the US Office of Naval Research. The ultimate aim of the research is to develop a systematic fusion technology approach to condition-based maintenance of wear-related surface distress of critical components in naval air and surface combatant engine and transmission systems. The principal monitoring technique utilised in this investigation was Acoustic Emission (AE). A custom data acquisition system was developed using a novel approach to collect AE signals. Post-test analysis of the data, in the frequency domain, demonstrates the advantage of analysing continuous AE and not just AE pulses.