Acoustic emission monitoring of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures: Fid-Bau Portal

Acoustic emission monitoring of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures

Fowler, Timothy J. / Yepez, Luis O. / Barnes, Charles A.

Acoustic emission is an important global nondestructive test method widely used to evaluate the structural integrity of metals and fiber reinforced plastic structures. However, in concrete, application of the technology is still at the experimental stage. Microcracking and crack growth are the principal sources of emission in concrete. Bond failure, anchor slippage, and crack rubbing are also sources of emission. Tension zone cracking in reinforced concrete is a significant source of emission and has made application of the technique to concrete structures difficult. The paper describes acoustic emission monitoring of full-scale prestressed concrete girders and a reinforced concrete frame during loading. The tests on the prestressed concrete girders showed three sources of emission: shear-induced cracking in the web, flexural cracking at the region of maximum moment, and strand slippage at the anchorage zone. The reinforced concrete frame was monitored with and without concrete shear panels. The research was directed to early detection of the cracks, signature analysis, source location, moment tensor analysis, and development of criteria for acoustic emission inspection of concrete structures. Cracking of concrete in the tension areas of the reinforced concrete sections was an early source of emission. More severe emission was detected as damage levels in the structure increased.