  We present a non-traditional general methodology for the prediction of
breakdown of engineering structures, based on a global top-down monitoring of
the health of the structure modelled by the theory of critical rupture. The new
Acceptance Test Plan integrating the resulting Predictive Acoustic Emission
procedure has been successfully applied to the prediction of the breakdown of
composite over-wrapped high pressure vessels which are currently produced for
the Ariane 5 launcher by EADS Launch Vehicles. This new approach should be an
efficient tool more generally in Structural Health Monitoring service,
especially for the prediction of the residual margins and lifetimes of
heterogeneous structures which constitutes the main issue of SHM in civil
infrastructures.
