EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL STUDY OF DEFECTS IN PRESSURESED CYLINDRICAL SHELLS INSTRUMENTED BY ACOUSTIC EMISSION AND STRAIN GAUGES

In order to conduct a comprehensive study on the harmfulness of defects in the pressure vessels, and in order to propose simple rules to characterize the harmfulness of existing defects in pressurized installations. An experimental study based on the monitoring of deformations by strain gauges in the vicinity of defects. In parallel, during pressure testing, the evolution of defects is detected and followed by the acoustic emission method. The specific instrumentation has been designed and implemented. Ministructures ( models) have therefore been carried out with positional defects and different orientation. These experimental results validated by a numerical model of finite elements.