Abstract
Comprehensive knowledge of the low-cycle fatigue properties of nuclear component materials, and nondestructive testing (NDT) techniques for fatigue damage detection are important when evaluating nuclear components affected by earthquakes. Acoustic emission (AE) testing can be used for the condition monitoring of the components. Therefore, we conducted low-cycle fatigue tests of austenitic stainless steel with AE monitoring. The results of fatigue tests showed that the estimation based on the usage factor (UF) could be useful for the life prediction. The results of AE monitoring also showed that the timing of AE generation changed by the remaining fatigue life, so the potential for characterization of fatigue damage was demonstrated by focusing timing of AE generation. Furthermore, the possibility of applying AE monitoring to NDT techniques was demonstrated through the results of these fatigue tests.
