ISO 18249:2015 describes the general principles of acoustic emission testing (AT) of materials, components, and structures made of fibre-reinforced polymers (FRP) with the aim of

- materials characterization,

- proof testing and manufacturing quality control,

- retesting and in-service testing, and

- health monitoring.

This International Standard has been designed to describe specific methodology to assess the integrity of fibre-reinforced polymers (FRP), components, or structures or to identify critical zones of high damage accumulation or damage growth under load (e.g. suitable instrumentation, typical sensor arrangements, and location procedures).

It also describes available, generally applicable evaluation criteria for AT of FRP and outlines procedures for establishing such evaluation criteria in case they are lacking.

ISO 18249:2015 also presents formats for the presentation of acoustic emission test data that allows the application of qualitative evaluation criteria, both online during testing and by post-test analysis, and that simplify comparison of acoustic emission test results obtained from different test sites and organizations.

NOTE The structural significance of the acoustic emission cannot in all cases definitely be assessed based on AT evaluation criteria only but can require further testing and assessment (e.g. with other non-destructive test methods or fracture mechanics calculations).