Acoustic Emission structural integrity evaluation tests rely on the validity of the detected acoustic emission data and the ability of the practitioner to both analyse and interpret the data to make a correct decision on the future use of the structure tested._x000D_
Unfortunately with acoustic emission surveillance testing, it is not possible to know that all the available data has been assessed property. The equipment sensitivity, threshold settings, and event capture capacity, when combined with the decision making ability of the operator in real time, make it very difficult to achieve reliable integrity evaluation. The main problem is to interpret the data and so any monitoring system should involve expert systems in conjunction with both acoustic emission and other operational monitoring data to maximise the utilisation of the large amounts of information now available from operating plants, mines and structures.