AE BASIC EXAM

Q1.

Hold periods at high loads during fiberglass reinforced pressure

(FRP) vessel examinations using ASME Article 11 are necessary
to:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Q2.

In acoustic emission testing per ASME Section V, Article 11,

sensor spacing on fiberglass-reinforced pressure (FRP) pressure
vessels is governed by:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Q3.

calculate the felicity ratio

check for leaks
monitor continuing damage
measure the Kaiser ratio

the test article temperature

sensor diameter
attenuation
the type of couplant

How can an examiner be assured that proper contact has been

made between the sensor and the vessel?
e. apply extra couplant around the sensor.
f. Use heavy-duty fasteners on sensors and cables
g. Measure the peak amplitude response from a simulated acoustic
emission source
h. Use a acoustic waveguides

Q4.

The source of the energy of the acoustic emission wave during

crack growth is the:
i.
j.
k.
l.

Q5.

acoustic emission sensor

surface energy of the new crack
elastic stress field in the structure
power supply from the mainframe to the preamplifier

Which of the following can be a significant source of background

noise?
m.
n.
o.
p.

inrushing fluid
wind
radio transmissions
all of the above
1

Q6.

The elastic energy that is released by materials when they

undergo deformations is called:
q.
r.
s.
t.

Q7.

transformation
acoustic emission
brittle fracture
isotrophy

One of the two major differences in the acoustic emission method

from other forms of NDT is that:
u. acoustic emission relies on visual interpretation of data
v. computers are used exclusively for analysis
w. the energy detected is radiated from the defect itself
x. transducers are used to gather data

Q8.

One advantage of using acoustic emission over other forms of

NDT is that acoustic emission can:
y. be used to evaluate an entire structure during one test
z. be used to size a discontinuity in a material
aa. determine material thickness
bb. measure thermal gradients within a material

Q9.

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:
cc. the Dunegan corollary
dd. the Kaiser effect
ee. the Felicity ratio
ff. a Hsu-Nielson source

Q10.

The founder of modern acoustic emission technology was:

gg. Conrad Earl Krieder
hh. Professor Firestone
ii. James C. Bolling
jj. Josef Kaiser
2

Q11.

The test most often performed on a structure to determine

maximum sensor spacing is called:
kk. a flaw detection test
ll. an attenuation test
mm.
an EMI test
nn. a Kaiser test

Q12.

The use of a couplant between the acoustic emission sensor and

the surface of the material being tested is to provide:
oo. protection for the sensor
pp. ground loop elimination
qq. a medium through which elastic stress waves can excite an acoustic
emission sensor
rr. none of the above

Q13.

During a pressure vessel test, there is a rapidly (exponentially)

increasing count rate. There are several possible causes. The
operators first priority to examine the possibility that:
ss. the initial system calibration was invalid
tt. the vessel is undergoing local yielding due to high secondary stresses
uu. failure of the vessel is impending
vv. the level of background noise has increased

Q14.

In order for an acoustic emission (AE) system to detect an active

AE source in a material, the AE sensor must be placed:
ww.
directly on the AE source
xx. anywhere in the general vicinity of the AE source as
yy. as far from the AE source as possible
zz. at a standard distance from the AE source

Q15.

Which of the following is measured in meters per second (m/s)?

aaa.
bbb.
ccc.
ddd.

the time required for a crack to grow

the resonant frequency of a material
the velocity of sound in a given material
the rate of strain when a material is being deformed.

Q16.

A sensor is positioned 3 m from an acoustic emission (AE)

source. In a particular component of the AE wave travels at 3000
m/s, how long will it take this component to travel from source to
sensor?
eee.
1 millisecond
fff. 3 milliseconds
ggg.
9 milliseconds
hhh.
1000 milliseconds

Q17.

One of the major differences in the acoustic emission NDT

method compared to most other NDT methods is that:
iii. acoustic emission relies on visual interpretation data
jjj. computers are used exclusively for analysis
kkk.
acoustic emission directly detects the growth of flaws
lll. transducers are used to gather data

Q18.

Which of the following facilities the transmission of acoustic

waves to a typical sensor?
mmm.
nnn.
ooo.
ppp.

Q19.

High amplitude events during the examination of fiberglassreinforced pressure (FRP) vessels usually indicates:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Q20.

active element
surface of the test object
couplant
damping material

fiber breakage
debonding
fiber pullout
microcracking

When an elastic material is stretched elastically, the stress is:

a. greater than the strain
b. less than the strain
c. proportional to the strain
d. equal to the strain

Q21.

Which of the following terms means a materials ability to resist

crack growth?
a.
b.
c.
d.

Q22.

ductility
toughness
hardness
resistance

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:
qqq.
30 milliseconds
rrr. 33.3 milliseconds
sss.
30 microseconds
ttt. 33.3 microseconds

Q23.

Detection of an acoustic emission signal depends on:

a.
b.
c.
d.

Q24.

duration of the signal exceeding the instrument dead time

amplitude of the signal exceeding the threshold
risetime of the signal exceeding the lockout time
frequency spectrum of the signal exceeding the system bandwidth

A limitation of the acoustic emission applied to metals is that it:

a.
b.
c.
d.

Q25.

A major benefit of the acoustic emission method is that it:

a.
b.
c.
d.

Q26.

is not immediately repeatable

can only find defects that break the surface
requires vessels to be taken out of service for the test
requires personnel to be close vessel at high pressures

finds smaller cracks than any other method

is readily repeatable
produces superior images of defects in thick-section steels
requires access to the structure only at the sensor locations

MARSE is:
a.
b.
c.
d.

the Mean Acoustic Ringdown Signal Envelope

useful as a measure of continuous noise
often observed to increase with increasing load in tests of damaged
structures
all of the above
5

Q27.

The concept that all, or nearly all, materials are capable of

generating acoustic emission was first set forth in 1950 by:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Q28.

A typical source mechanism of acoustic emission is:

a.
b.
c.
d.

Q29.

carbon steel reactors

stainless steel piping
fiberglass vessels and storage tanks
7075 aluminum aircraft structures

When selecting the best sensor frequency for a particular

acoustic emission test, it is important to consider all of the
following except:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Q31.

crack growth
movement of dislocations
matrix cracking in fiber-reinforced plastics
all of the above

The Felicity ratio is a quantitative measure best used to evaluate:

a.
b.
c.
d.

Q30.

Dunegan
Parry
Kaiser
Johnson

attenuation characteristics of the material

frequency spectrum and level of background noise
cable length
sensor spacing

After an initial proof test, a defect grows during a year in service.

Acoustic emission can often detect this defect during a second
proof test. Dunegans reasoning for this phenomena is that the:
a. second proof test will be done at a higher load
b. Kaiser effect will disappear after one year
c. Local stress field around the defect will be higher during the second
proof test
d. Kaiser effects does not apply to flawed materials
6

Q32.

The positioning of sensors for acoustic emission testing of metal

pressure vessels is commonly based on:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Q33.

Of the following components, which one is not considered to be

part of typical acoustic emission sensor?
a.
b.
c.
d.

Q34.

accuracy of sensor placement

physical size of a sensor
sensor frequency
sensor couplant

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:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Q36.

electrodes
active element
acoustic waveguide
backing material

When performing source location, which of the following most

directly affects the accuracy of computed location?
a.
b.
c.
d.

Q35.

the measured attenuation in the structure

the need to detect structural flaws at critical locations
the velocity of sound in the structure
both a and b

poor, high frequency sensor location

high amplitude, low frequency emissions
fiber breakage
crazing

In acoustic emission testing of fiberglass-reinforced pressure

(FRP) tanks and pressure vessels, low frequency sensors are
used for:
a.
b.
c.
d.

eliminating spurious noise sources

low temperature environments
examinations using cable over 91 m (300 ft)
backing up the high frequency sensors
7

Q37.

Which of the following factors tend to increase the amplitude of

the acoustic emission response?
a.
b.
c.
d.

Q38.

The hoop stress in a thin-walled pressure vessel is given by pr\t,

where p is the internal pressure, r is the radius of the vessel, and t
is the wall thickness. The axial stress is:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Q39.

low strength material

small grain size
absence of discontinuities
high strain rates

twice the hoop stress

the same as the hoop stress
half of the hoop stress
not directly related to the hoop stress

The phrase stress intensity factor refers to the:

uuu.
vvv.
www.
xxx.

Q40.

AE is
a.
b.
c.
d.

Q41.

Dynamic and non invasive

Dynamic and invasive
Static and non invasive
Static and invasive

AE can be used in detecting

a.
b.
c.
d.

Q42.

stress in the neighborhood of a crack

stress concentration produced by a hole
stress needed to break a tensile specimen
ratio of hoop stress to axial stress in a pressure vessel

Static discontinuities
Where noise is very heavy
Geological application
Repeated application to find and confirm the result

Which will give more AE

a.
b.
c.
d.

Ductile
High strength
Low strength
All
8

Q43.

Which will high AE

a.
b.
c.
d.

Q44.

Which will give low AE

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Q45.

Thick section
Thin section
Varying section
Section having some isotropy

Low temperature
Brittle structure
Anisotropy
All
None

Which will give more AE

a. Cast material
b. Martensitic phase
transformation

c. Non homogeneous
d. All
e. None

Q46.

Which will give low AE

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Q47.

Which will give high AE

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Q48.

Active discontinuities
Incipient fatigue failures
SCC
a & b only
a&b&c

Choosing the monitor frequency is

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Q50.

Wrought material
Plastic transformation
Diffusion controlled phase transformation
All
None

AE can be used to detect

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Q49.

Mechanical twinning
Large grain structure
Anisotropy
All
None

Dictated by the f/fg rule

An operator function
Such that it should be of narrow band nature
All
None

Usual frequency used in AE is

a. 20 HZ 20 KHZ
b. 100 KHZ 300 KHZ

Q51.

c. 100 KHZ 20 MHZ

d. 1 KHZ 1 MHZ

The low frequency limit is covered by the

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Electronic system used

Background noise
Operator capacity to interpret the result
a&b
a&b&c

10

Q52.

Upper Frequency limit is

a.
b.
c.
d.

Q53.

System electronic gain

Operator capacity to interpret result
Wave attenuation property of the material
a&b&c

Kaiser effect
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Affects AE emission
Reversible
Irreversible
a and b
a, b and c

11

Q54.

Kaiser effect is
a.
b.
c.
d.

Q55.

Degree of Kaiser effect

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Q56.

Useful in AE application
Troublesum in AE application
Both a & b
Neither a & b

Is the same for all material

Is difference for difference material
Same for all material as long as same stress is applied
All
None

Kaiser effect
a. Increases with temperature
b. Decreases with temperature
c. It may become even zero for alloys that exhibit appreciable room
temperature annealing
d. None

Q57.

Kaiser effect
a. Is exhibited by all metals
b. Is not exhibited by all metals
c. Some alloys and materials may not exhibit measurable Kaiser
effect
d. None

Q58.

For the material exhibiting Kaiser effect

a.
b.
c.
d.

Q59.

Each AE signals will occur only once

If we remove and reapply same stress we can get AE signal
Both a & b
Neither a & b

For the material exhibiting Kaiser effect

a. AE inspection has a now or never basis
b. Same experiment can be repeated by changing the equipment and
operators
c. Conformation can be done by reapplying same load
d. All

e. None
Q60.

So AE examination of the material

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Q61.

For the AE test to be successful the discontinuities should be

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Q62.

Should be used at carefully planned times

During the proof test
Before plant shutdown
a&b
a&b&c

At right angles to the wave propagation

At parallel to the wave propagation
At 90 the wave propagation
All
None

Sensitivity of the method

a. Increases with the distance between the AE source and transducer
b. Decreases with distance between AE source and transducer
c. Inversely proportional to the square of distance between AE source
and transducer
d. All
e. None

Q63.

AE wave are
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Q64.

AE wave propagation is affected by

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Q65.

Elastic wave
Stress wave
Strain wave
a and b
b and c

Mode conversion
Different velocity for the different mode
Elasticity of the material
a and b
a&b&c

When using multiple AE transducer it is important to

considered

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Q66.

Transducer coupling
Reproducibility of the response
Careful calibration technique
All
None

Transducer selection and placement does not depend on?

a.
b.
c.
d.

Acoustic property of the material

Geometric condition of the material
Orientation of the discontinuity
All