The mechanism for mechano-luminescence(ML) in SAO phosphor was investigated quantitatively by measuring the emission intensity under three different tensile conditions. It was found that the ML of SAO was strongly dependent on the dynamic loading rate rather than by the applied load itself. The mechano-luminescent emission in SAO was evaluated based on the trap-releasing process. It was found that the shape of the ML curve in the transient regime obtained from the rate equation has good agreement with the experimental data.