Chapter 22
Acoustic Emission Monitoring of Pitting
Corrosion on Zirconium Metal
Cheng Ye, Zhongzheng Zhang, Jun Jiang, Yongliang Yu, and Yu Xue
Abstract In order to study acoustic emission (AE) characteristics of pitting corrosion on zirconium metal, Pitting corrosion process of zirconium metal in 10% ferric
chloride solution at 70 °C was monitored by AE technology. Two different types
of sensors were used to record the AE signals, and conventional parameter-based
approach and signal-based analysis were combined to deal with AE signals. The
results showed that AE technology could better distinguish between the different
stages of the zirconium metal pitting process. Compared with the signals of the nucleation stage, the signals of pitting propagation stage had greater activity, lower amplitude, higher count, rise time, duration time and energy. It contained two different types
of signal waveforms corresponding to two phases pitting damage. Waveform mode
was mainly composed of flexural wave and expansion wave, and the low frequency
flexural wave was dominant in pitting propagation stage. Passivation film rupture and
hydrogen bubbles breakdown were mainly AE sources of zirconium metal pitting.
The research results had some certain reference value for AE monitoring of pitting
corrosion on zirconium metal equipment.
22.1 Introduction
Acoustic emission (AE) is one phenomenon in which transient elastic stress waves
are generated when material is damaged. AE detection technology established by
applying this characteristic has been widely used in the field of non-destructive
testing and material research of equipment. Pitting damage is one kind of common
corrosion phenomenon in equipment of petrochemical enterprises, which can lead to
leakage of equipment perforation and induced stress corrosion cracking. The application of AE technology to monitor the pitting process can achieve early warning
of equipment safety. At present, there are many researches on AE pitting monitoring, but the research objects are mostly concentrated on austenitic stainless steel
and aluminum alloy materials [1–5], a few researches on zirconium metal has been
C. Ye (B) · Z. Zhang · J. Jiang · Y. Yu · Y. Xue
Nanjing Boiler and Pressure Vessel Supervision and Inspection Institute, Nanjing 210019, China
e-mail: anyan2227@163.com
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
G. Shen et al. (eds.), Advances in Acoustic Emission Technology, Springer Proceedings
in Physics 259, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9837-1_22
255
Acoustic Emission Monitoring of Pitting
Corrosion on Zirconium Metal
Cheng Ye, Zhongzheng Zhang, Jun Jiang, Yongliang Yu, and Yu Xue
Abstract In order to study acoustic emission (AE) characteristics of pitting corrosion on zirconium metal, Pitting corrosion process of zirconium metal in 10% ferric
chloride solution at 70 °C was monitored by AE technology. Two different types
of sensors were used to record the AE signals, and conventional parameter-based
approach and signal-based analysis were combined to deal with AE signals. The
results showed that AE technology could better distinguish between the different
stages of the zirconium metal pitting process. Compared with the signals of the nucleation stage, the signals of pitting propagation stage had greater activity, lower amplitude, higher count, rise time, duration time and energy. It contained two different types
of signal waveforms corresponding to two phases pitting damage. Waveform mode
was mainly composed of flexural wave and expansion wave, and the low frequency
flexural wave was dominant in pitting propagation stage. Passivation film rupture and
hydrogen bubbles breakdown were mainly AE sources of zirconium metal pitting.
The research results had some certain reference value for AE monitoring of pitting
corrosion on zirconium metal equipment.
22.1 Introduction
Acoustic emission (AE) is one phenomenon in which transient elastic stress waves
are generated when material is damaged. AE detection technology established by
applying this characteristic has been widely used in the field of non-destructive
testing and material research of equipment. Pitting damage is one kind of common
corrosion phenomenon in equipment of petrochemical enterprises, which can lead to
leakage of equipment perforation and induced stress corrosion cracking. The application of AE technology to monitor the pitting process can achieve early warning
of equipment safety. At present, there are many researches on AE pitting monitoring, but the research objects are mostly concentrated on austenitic stainless steel
and aluminum alloy materials [1–5], a few researches on zirconium metal has been
C. Ye (B) · Z. Zhang · J. Jiang · Y. Yu · Y. Xue
Nanjing Boiler and Pressure Vessel Supervision and Inspection Institute, Nanjing 210019, China
e-mail: anyan2227@163.com
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
G. Shen et al. (eds.), Advances in Acoustic Emission Technology, Springer Proceedings
in Physics 259, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9837-1_22
255