Acoustic Emissions (AE) Electrical Systems' Health Monitoring

Acoustic Emissions (AE) are associated with physical events, such as thermal activity, dielectric breakdown, discharge inception, as well as crack nucleation and growth. Previous empirical experiments have demonstrated that the unprecedented quality of AE measurements available with the Research and Development configuration of a Robust Laser Interferometer (RLI) developed by Epoch Engineering, Inc., provides measurement of AE that enables early recognition of information of interest. Examples include the AE alertment that pre-fire conditions exist, adn AE alertment of mechanical system component failure inception and/or fault development. This effort is structured i.) to conduct empirical experiments that demonstrate the presence of Acoustic Emissions when e.g., electrical equipment problems develop, and ii.) to develop sufficient knowledge to establish the basis for pursuing an AE electrical systems' health monitoring functional capability. Quantitative information is developed relative to RLI electrical system AE measurement capabilities. Configuration(s) developed include identification of hardware and software for the proposed Phase II/follow demonstrations.