Acoustic emission monitoring of steel and concrete structural elements with particular reference to primary nuclear containment structures

Primary containments for nuclear reactors are either thick-walled steel pressure vessels (pressurized water reactors) or massive prestressed concrete structures (gas-cooled reactors). The ability to detect and analyze flaws in these structures is important for ensuring structural integrity throughout their 30 to 40 year design life. Relatively recent advancements in nondestructive testing utilizing acoustic emission (AE) have made it a potentially viable technique for in-service monitoring of the structural integrity of primary containment structures. To provide background for an assessment of the capability of AE to monitor the structural integrity of primary nuclear containments, intermediate pressure vessels tested under the Heavy-Section Steel Technology (HSST) Program and relatively simple concrete structures have been monitored by AE while under test. The results of this monitoring program are discussed