# Acoustic emission testing (AE)

> Acoustic emission testing (AE) is a passive method in which sensors mounted on a structure detect the transient elastic waves released by active defects, such as growing cracks or leaks, while the structure is under load.

- Source: https://amps.global/glossary/acoustic-emission-testing/
- Type: Glossary
- Published: 2026-09-05
- Tags: NDT, acoustic emission, monitoring

## Key facts

- Passive: the structure is the sound source; it must be stressed (pressure test, load) during the test
- Global: an array of sensors covers a whole vessel or tank floor and locates sources by arrival-time differences
- Finds active defects only; follow-up with UT or another method is required to size them
- Codes: ASME BPVC Section V Articles 11 to 13, ASTM E1118 and E1139

Also known as: AE, AET, acoustic emission.

## How it works

When a crack grows or a leak forms, energy is released as a burst of high-frequency sound that travels through the structure. Piezoelectric sensors detect the bursts; software counts, characterises and triangulates them. Results are graded against criteria that separate significant sources from noise.

## Where it is used

Pressure vessels during hydrotests, atmospheric storage tank floors (corrosion activity without emptying the tank), bridges, composite structures and fibre-reinforced vessels.

## AE in AMPS

AE monitoring is often repeated on the same asset over years. In AMPS every asset and job carries a QR code. Scanning it opens the asset page and the history of jobs performed on it, assets can hold sub-assets, and jobs can be grouped, for example per shutdown. Previous reports are therefore one scan away for the next test.

## Related pages

- [Asset register](https://amps.global/glossary/asset-register/)
- [Asset integrity management](https://amps.global/glossary/asset-integrity-management/)
- [API 653](https://amps.global/glossary/api-653/)

## Sources

- [Acoustic emission on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_emission)
- [ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code](https://www.asme.org/codes-standards/bpvc-standards)