ACOUSTIC EMISSION MONITORING OF STEEL RAILROAD BRIDGES

Results from acoustic emission (AE) monitoring of 36 steel railroad bridges are presented. The demonstrated successes of using AE to find new cracks, to identify active cracks, to validate the effectiveness of repairs, and to provide damage assessments to assist with repair prioritization are discussed. The challenges presented in using AE for fatigue-life estimation; for the assessment of pins, hangers, and complex weldments; and for crack assessment of severely corroded members are outlined. Finally, new ideas for refined monitoring and enhanced data analysis are presented.