Institute of Fundamental Technological Research

The paper deals with the problems related to the diagnostics of selected parts of modern Diesel engines. The evolution of mechanical properties of four alloys of Mg-Li-Al system and four composites made on the base of the alloys mentioned above, caused by variation of its composition was presented. The Acoustic Emission (AE) method applied to monitoring of degradation of mechanical properties of the alloys and composites was described. Moreover, the results of the investigation of failures occurring in the injectors of Common Rail Diesel engines per formed with the application of AE method were also reported.

Diesel engines diagnostics, light alloys and composites, Common Rail fuel system, Acoustic Emission method

The paper presents the investigations of the relation between the acoustic emission (AE) and the Porte vin-Le Chatelier (PL) phenomena occurring in tensile tested two kinds of aluminium alloys: not-predeformed and predeformed earlier using the technique of accumulative rolling banding (ARB). There have been found essential correlations between AE and PL effects in ARB not-predeformed alloys. The tensile tests for ARB predeformed alloys were performed on a series of samples of various degree of work hardening and it has been observed that the correlations between the AE and PL effects are not so pronounced as in the case of ARB not-predeformed alloys. The results of AE measurements obtained using a new software allowed additionally to carry out the spectral analysis of AE signals and, in consequence, to determine the acoustic maps (acoustograms) and the spectral characteristics which are very useful in the discussion of the relations between the non-homogeneous strain mechanisms of the PL effect and the mechanisms of AE events generation. The results are discussed in the context of the existing dislocation models of the PL effect and the theoretical concepts of AE sources

acoustic emission (AE), Portevin-Le Chatelier (PL) effect, tensile test, dislocations, strain mechanism, nanocrystalline and/or ultra fine-grained structure, accumulative rollbonding (ARB)

The object of investigation was the behaviour of acoustic emission (AE) during channel-die compression of the Mg-Li-Al alloys matrix composites (AMC) reinforced with ceramic δ-Al2O3fibres at room and at elevated temperature. The results of AE measurements at room temperature showed that in the majority of the investigated compositions the effect of anisotropy of the fibres distribution (planar random distribution) appeared with respect to the compression axis, whereas the AE activity at 1400C revealed a two-range character and the level of the rate of AE events was higher than thatat room temperature. These effects are discussed in terms of both, the differences in thermal expansion as well as weakening of the coherency between the fibres and the matrix. The results of AE measurements served to plot the spectral characteristics of the registered AE signals, i.e. the spectral density of AE signal as a function of its frequency. The spectral analysis of AE signals generated during the micro-cracking process of ceramic fibres in channel-die compressed Mg-Li-Al AMC was performed with the Windowed Fourier Transform method. The results are also discussed on the basis of optical and scanning microstructure images including these in-situobservations of microcracking fibres as well as in the context of the dislocation strain mechanisms and microcracking ones during the channel-die compression of the Mg-Li-Al AMC.