Acoustic emission (AE) was originally developed for non-destructive testing ofstatic structures. however, over the years its application has been extended tohealth monitoring of rotating machines and bearings. It offers the advantage ofearlier defect detection in comparison to vibration analysis. Currentmethodologies of applying AE for bearing diagnosis are reviewed. Theinvestigation reported in this paper was centered on the application of standardacoustic emissions IAE) characteristic parameters on a radially loaded bearing.An experimental test-rig was designed to allow seeded defects on the inner andouter race. It is concluded that irrespective of the radial load, rotationalspeed and high levels of background noise. simple AE parameters such as e.m.s.and AE counts provided an indication of bearing defect. In addition tovalidating already established AE techniques, this investigation focuses onestablishing an appropriate threshold level for AE counts.
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