Detectability of defects in reactor pressure components by location and interpretation of AE-sources

There are worldwide effords to develop AE-technique as a method to detect and to assess defects in reactor pressure components like vessels and pipes during hydrotest and in-service. Therefore the detectability of growing and non-growing crack-like defects must be investigated and rules for interpretation and classification of AE-signals have to be found in order to separate primary AE from crackgrowth and secondary AE from crack-face interference.