Recent developments in monitoring of engines using acoustic emission

The application of acoustic emission (AE) for monitoring internal combustion (IC) engines is reviewed in this paper. Recent developments in monitoring mechanical events and processes using AE are discussed. The high spatial and temporal fidelity of the AE signals acquired from engines in service make it possible to focus monitoring strategies on individual events and processes. This gives AE the advantages of earlier fault diagnosis and source location whereas other techniques generally monitor symptoms of faults. Monitoring of engine speed, event timing, and reconstitution of processes such as injection and combustion are also possible. These capabilities of AE monitoring are discussed with reference to the development of AE data handling and analysis approaches for engines.