Achieving mechanical systems with high safety and reliability requires performing appropriate maintenance according to the
situation. For this reason, sensing technology that can accurately measure damage progression
in situ is essential. Concerning
tribological phenomena in particular, direct external access to the friction interface is difficult, and its state changes constantly
over time. Therefore, it is not easy to measure and visualize changes in the friction interface
in situ. Acoustic emission (AE)
sensing is a useful
in situ measurement method for diagnosing and evaluating conditions such as surface-to-surface contact and
wear at friction interfaces of mechanical components by measuring and analyzing elastic stress waves generated by material
deformation and fracture. AE sensing excels in detection sensitivity to phenomena, and since the measurement data contains
abundant information on deformation and fracture, it provides insights unattainable by other measurement methods. Furthermore,
correlating AE parameters with tribological phenomena (e.g., friction and wear modes and wear rates) makes it possible to
visualize in real time the previously invisible changes in the state of friction interfaces. This article explains how AE sensing is a
visualization technology that supports tribology. It focuses on diagnostic and evaluation techniques for contact states and damage
conditions at friction interfaces and incorporates research examples.
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