[en] Cavitation can cause considerable erosion to adjacent materials. Erosion is accompanied by acoustic emissions, related to crack formation and propagation inside the material. In this study a piezoelectric acoustic sensor mounted on the back of a grade DH36 steel plate is used to identify the acoustic signatures of cavitation. Cavitation is induced near the plate by means of an ultrasonic transducer (sonotrode). Various ‘non-erosive’ and erosive test rig configurations are examined and an acoustic threshold value for the onset of cavitation erosion is identified and presented. The use of a fibre Bragg grating (FBG)-based acoustic sensor developed at City University London for acoustic monitoring purposes is also examined. Acoustic signals from both sensors are analysed, by means of a fast Fourier transform, showing a very good agreement in terms of captured frequencies. (paper)