Critical Behaviour in Concrete Structures and Damage Localization by Acoustic Emission

Extensive research and studies on concrete fracture and failure have shown that concrete should be viewed as a quasi-brittle material having a size-dependent behaviour. Numerous experimental techniques have been employed to evaluate fracture processes, and a number of modelling approaches have been developed to predict fracture behaviour. The non-destructive method based on the Acoustic Emission (AE) technique has proved highly effective, especially to check and measure the damage phenomena that take place inside a structure subjected to mechanical loading. In this paper an experimental investigation conducted on concrete and RC structures by means of the AE technique is described. The AE signals reflecting the release of energy taking place during the damage process were recorded and micro-cracking sources were localised by measuring time delays by means of spatially distributed AE sensors.