PStions and Swers Levels I, II, and III Acoustic Emission Testing MethodCompiled by the Acoustic Emission Method Committee of the Personnel Qualification Division, Education and Qualification Council of the American Society for Nondestructive Testing This publication contains suggested questions and answers in the Acoustic Emission Testing method for use in conjunction with Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC-1A for Personnel Qualification and Certification in ‘Nondestructive Testing. Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC.1A is available from ASNT. Published by ‘The American Society for Nondestructive Testing, Inc. 1711 Aclingate Lane PO Box 28518 Columbus, OH 43228-0518 Copyright © 1995 by the American Society for Nondestructive Testing, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any ‘means without permission in writing from the publisher. ASNT is not responsible for the authenticity or accuracy of information herein, and published opinions or statements do not necessarily reflect the opinion of ASNT. Products and/or services that may appear in this book do not carry the endorsement or recommendation of ASNT. ISBN 0-57117-010-3 Printed in the United St sof AmericaTable of Contents References Reference Usage List Level I Questions Answers Level I Questions Answers Level II Questions Answers wean il 13 15 15 7eal GL feRecommended Training References Acoustic Emission Testing Method The following references were used in formulating the questions contained in this book. A. Be pe Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section V, Asticle 11, “Acoustic Emission Examination of Fiber Reinforced Plastic Vessels.” Fairfield, NI: ASME. Latest edition, Miller, Ronnie K. and Paul McIntire, eds. Nondestructive Testing Handbook, second edition: Volume 5, Acoustic Emission Testing. Columbus, OH: The American Society for Nondestructive Testing, Inc. 1987. Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section V, Article 12, “Acoustic Emission Examination of Metallic Vessels, during Pressure Testing.” Fairfield, NI: ASME. Latest edition Nondestructive Evaluation and Quality Control: ASM Handbook, Volume 17, ninth edition, Metals Park, OH: ‘ASM International. 1989. Pollock, A.A. Practical Guide to Acoustic Emission Testing. Princeton, NJ: Physical Acoust 1988, es Corporation. Moore, Harry D, ed. Materials and Processes for NDT Technology. Columbus, OH: The American Society for Nondestructive Testing, Inc. 1981 ‘Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Volume 03.03, Nondestructive Testing. “Standard Practice for Acoustic Emission Examination of Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic Resin (FRP) Tanks/Vessels,” Standard E 1067-89. Philadelphia, PA: American Society for Testing and Materials, Latest edition, Fowler, TJ. “Acoustic Emission Testing of Vessels," Chemical Engineering Progress. 1989. * Available from The American Society for Nondestructive Testing, Ine. ‘Each question found in this book contains leter(s) and page number(s) in bold type immediately following the answers. For example, 2. Inacoustic emission testing per ASME Section V, Article 11, sensor spacing on fiberglass-reinforced pressure (FRP) pressure vessels is governed by: the test article temperature sensor diameter attenuation the type of couplant In this example, the letter “A” refers to Reference A in the list provided above, and “90.15” is the specific page in Reference A where the answer to the question can be found,Reference Usage List Acoustic Emission Testing Method Reference A: Total = 7 Level I (3) Level II (4) Level HII (0) Rererence B: Total = 20 Level I (11) Level I (7) Level II (2) Reference C: Total = 5 Level I (2) Level II (3) Level IIT (0) Reference D: Total = 1 Level I (1) Level II (0) Level IH (0) Reference E: Total = 7 Level I (1) Level II (4) Level III (2) Reference F: Total = 4 Level 1 (0) Level II (2) Level III (2) Reference G: Total = 1 Level I (0) Level II (0) Level II (1) Reference H: Total = 1 Level I (0) Level IT (0) Level IMI (1)Level I Questions Acoustic Emission Testing Method Hold periods at high loads during fiberglass- reinforced pressure (FRP) vessel examinations using ASME Article 11 are necessary to: a. calculate the felicity ratio b. check for leaks . monitor continuing damage «, measure the Kaiser ratio A.90.16 In acoustic emission testing per ASME Section V, Article 11, sensor spacing on fiberglass-reinforced pressure (FRP) pressure vessels is governed by: a, the test article temperature », sensor diameter c. attenuation 4d. the type of couplant 90.15 How can an examiner be assured that proper contact has been made between the sensor and the vessel? . apply extra couplant around the sensor b. use heavy-duty fasteners on sensors and cables ‘c. measure the peak amplitude response from a simulated acoustic emission source use acoustic waveguides A.90.14-15 The source of the energy of the acoustic emission wave during crack growth is the: b. surface energy of the new erack «. elastic stress field in the structure «4. power supply from the mainframe to the preamplifier Bes Which of the following can be a significant source of background noise? inrushing fuid wind radio transmissions all of the above c.a79 10, The elastic energy that is released by materials when they undergo deformation is called: 2. transformation b. acoustic emission . brittle fracture 4. isotrophy BAZ One of the two major differences in the acoustic ‘emission method from other forms of NDT is that: 4 acoustic emission relies on visual interpretation of data b. computers are used exclusively for analysis . the energy detected is radiated from the defect itself 4. transducers are used to gather data Baz One advantage of using acoustic emission over other forms of NDT is that acoustic emission can: 4. be used to evaluate an entire structure during one test b. be used to “size” a discontinuity in a material c. determine material thicknesses 4. measure thermal gradients within a material Bas During loading, a metallic structure emits throughout the test period. "When the load is reduced and then reapplied, no emissions are noted until the previous stress level was exceeded. This phenomenon is an example of: the Dunegan corollary the Kaiser effect the Felicity ratio a Hsu-Nielsen source BAG ‘The founder of modem acoustic emission technology a. Conrad Earl Krieder b. Professor Firestone c. James C. Bolling 4, Josef Kaiser BATAcoustic Emission Testing Method, Level I IL 12, 13, The test most often performed on a structure to determine maximum sensor spacing is called: a. a flaw detection test », an attenuation test ©. an EMI test d. aKaiser test B ‘The use of a couplant between the acoustic emission sensor and the surface of the material being tested is o provide: protection for the sensor ground loop elimination a medium through which elastic stress waves can excite an acoustic emission sensor none of the above B39 During a pressure vessel test, there is a rapidly (exponentially) increasing count rate. ‘There are several possible causes. The operator's first priority is to examine the possibility that: 1. the initial system calibration was invalid b. the vessel is undergoing local yielding due to high secondary stresses . failure of the vessel is impending . the level of background noise has increased C181 In order for an acoustic emission (AE) system to detect an active AE source in a material, the AE sensor must be placed: 1. directly on the AE source ». anywhere in the general vicinity of the AE source ¢. as far from the AE source as possible 4d. ata standard distance from the AE source Baz ‘Which of the following is measured in meters per second (mm/s)? a. the time required for a crack to grow b. the resonant frequency of a material «. the velocity of sound in a given material 4. the rate of strain when a material is being deformed D233 A sensor is positioned 3 m from an acoustic emission (AE) source. If a particular component of the AE wave travels at 3000 mvs, how long will it take this, ‘component to travel from source to sensor? a. I millisecond . 3 milliseconds ©. 9 milliseconds 4d. 1000 milliseconds E One of the major differences in the acoustic emission NDT method compared to most other NDT methods is that 1. acoustic emission relies on visual interpretation of data ». computers are used exclusively for analysis . acoustic emission directly detects the growth of flaws 4, transducers are used to gather data Baz ‘Which of the following facilitates the transmission of acoustic waves to a typical sensor? 2. active element », surface of the test object . couplant 4. damping material B23yaeee Level I Answers Acoustic Emission Testing Method aonee Beenrs aopes i. 13. 14, seas 15. 17. 18. napey wo) ON ¢ -) buLevel II Questions Acoustic Emission Testing Method According to Table T-1121 of ASME Section V, Article 11 (below), how much time must a pressure vessel, normally operated at 414 kPa (60 psig), be operated at 207 kPa (30 psig) before acoustic emission ‘examination? 12hours 30 hours 2 days 4 days A.90.13-14 TABLE 7-1121 REQUIREMENTS FOR REDUCED OPERATING LE} IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO EXAMINATION Percent of Operating “Time Spent at Percent of Maximum Presaure andior | Maximum Pressure andlor oad toad 10 or less 12 hr 20 48 hr 30 30 hr 40 2 days 50 4 days 60 7 days DAMME Fefahnsec ese two aoe mst be known making ‘aroun apg presse oro rn pst yest High amplitude events during the examination of fiberglass-reinforced pressure (FRP) vessels usually indicates: a. fiber breakage ». debonding fiber pullout d. microcracking A906 ‘When an elastic material is stretched elastically, the stress is 1. greater than the strain b. less than the strain ¢. proportional to the strain 4. equal to the strain F.19.20 3. 8 iw Which of the following terms means a material's ability to resist crack growth? a. ductility b. toughness «. hardness 4. resistance Fat A particular accelerometer has a resonant frequency of 30 kHz. When used to detect acoustic emission, it “rings” at this resonant frequency. The time between successive peaks (period) is a, 30 milliseconds b. 333 milliseconds €, 30 microseconds 4. 33.3 microseconds Detection of an acoustic emission signal depends on a. duration of the signal exceeding the instrument dead time b. amplitude of the signal exceeding the threshold ¢, risetime of the signal exceeding the lockout time 4, frequency spectrum of the signal exceeding the system bandwidth E ‘A limitation of the acoustic émission applied to metals is that it a. is not immediately repeatable '. can only find defects that break the surface c. requires vessels to be taken out of service for the test 4, requires personnel to be close to vessels at high pressures ‘A major benefit of the acoustic emission method is. that it inds smaller cracks than any other method b. is readily repeatable . produces superior images of defects in thick- section steels 4. requires access to the structure only at the sensor Tocations BBAcoustic Emission Testing Method, Level IT 9. 10. 12, 14, MARSE is: 1. the Mean Acoustic Ringdown Signal Envelope b. useful as a measure of continuous noise c. often observed to increase with increasing load in tests of damaged structures d. all of the above casi ‘The concept that all, or nearly all, materials are capable of generating acoustic emission was first set forth in 1950 by: a. Dunegan b. Parry . Kaiser 4. Johnson BAT ‘A.typical source mechanism of acoustic emission is: 1. crack growth . movement of dislocations ‘c. matrix cracking in fiber-reinforced plastics 4d. all of the above Baz ‘The Felicity ratio is a quantitative measure best used to evaluate a. carbon steel reactors b. stainless steel piping c. fiberglass vessels and storage tanks 4. 7075 aluminum aircraft structures Bas ‘When selecting the best sensor frequency for a particular acoustic emission test, its important to consider all of the following except: 4. attenuation characteristics of the material ». frequency spectrum and level of background noise cc, cable length 4. sensor spacing cast Aficr an initial proof test, a defect grows duting a ‘year in service. Acoustic emission can often detect this defect during a second proof test. Dunegan’s| reasoning for this phenomena is that the: 1, second proof test will be done ata higher load b, Kaiser effect will disappear after one year ¢, local stress field around the defect will be higher during the second proof test 4. Kaiser effect does not apply to flawed materials. E 2 15, 16. 1, 18, 19. 20. ‘The positioning of sensors for acoustic emission testing of metal pressure vessels is commonly based on: a. the measured attenuation in the structure b. the need to detect structural flaws at critical Jocations ©. the velocity of sound in the structure 4. both aand b ca79 Of the following components, which one is not ‘considered to be part ofa typical acoustic emission sensor? a, electrodes ». active element «. acoustic waveguide 4. backing material B23 When performing source location, which of the following most directly affects the accuracy of computed location? . accuracy of sensor placement physical size of a sensor . sensor frequency sensor couplant B.150 In acoustic emission testing of fiberglass-reinforced pressure (FRP) tanks and pressure vessels, significant activity on low frequency sensors and very little activity on high frequency sensors normally indicates: 1, poor, high frequency sensor location ». high amplitude, low frequency emissions «. fiber breakage 4. crazing 90.16 In acoustic emission testing of fiberglass-reinforced pressure (FRP) tanks and pressure vessels, low frequency sensors are used for: 2. eliminating spurious noise sources b, low temperature environments c. examinations using cables over 91 m (300 ft) . backing up the high frequency sensors A90.14 ‘Which of the following factors tend to increase the amplitude of the acoustic emission response? a. low strength material ». small grain size c. absence of discontinuities 4. high strain rates BABvpwNe Level II Answers Acoustic Emission Testing Method acepe Seer eeane 13 il. abe 13. 14. 15. aenoe 16. 17. 18. 20. aapeeLevel II Questions Acoustic Emission Testing Method “The hoop stress ina thin-walled pressure vessel is given by prit, where p is the internal pressure, ris the radius of the vessel, and i the wall thickness, The axial stress is: ‘a. twice the hoop stress b. the same as the hoop stress c. half of the hoop stress 4d, not directly related to the hoop stress Fay ‘The phrase “stress intensity factor” refers to the: stress in the neighborhood of a crack stress concentration produced by a hole stress needed to break a tensile specimen ratio of hoop stress t0 axial stress in a pressure vessel ‘Thermal stress can be used to stimulate acoustic emission. A round, solid metallic object is heated and then immersed in a tank of cold water. The stresses in the first few seconds will be: a, tensile at the surface, compressive in the interior . compressive at the surface, tensile in the interior ¢, tensile throughout 4. compressive throughout E In order to use the signal-amplitude measurement ‘method to locate a continuous signal source, which of the following should be known’? ‘2, measured location of the sensors >. rank of the sensor output ¢. attenuation characteristics ofthe structure 4. all of the above B.A38 15 Yielding is a common source of acoustic emission in metals, At what stress levels do significant emissions. generally begin? a, 50-60 percent of the yield point , 60-70 percent of the yield point c. 70-80 percent of the yield point 4d. 80-90 percent of the yield point B.1S6 ‘Which of the following can be used to measure the ‘operating characteristics of acoustic emission instrumentation? a. aRMS voltmeter b. a variable decibel attenuator €, atone burst generator 4. all of the above G Conventional source location, using time-of-arrival ‘and triangulation, has proven to be unsatisfactory for fiber-reinforced (FRP) equipment. Which item listed below is not one of the three main problems with source location in FRP equipment? 1, Severe attenuation prohibits the multiple sensor bits that are required for triangulation, bb Triangulation assumes constant stress wave velocities in all directions. Since most FRP structures are anisotropic, this is rarely the case. cc, Sensors resonant at 60 kHz are typically used for acoustic emission tests on FRP equipment. Time- of-arival is generally not measured with these 4. High event rates from single sources are typical in FRP material, Attenuation may eause one event to go undetected at one sensor and the system may iistake the next event for the one undetected. 462In ae ae)Level II Answers Acoustic Emission Testing Method pe AY ae au ao aw ¢