LOCALIZATION AND CLASSIFICATION OF FRACTURE TYPES IN CONCRETE WITH QUANTITATIVE ACOUSTIC-EMISSION MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES

The interactive forces between concrete and the steel cross-sections o f the reinforcement can be investigated using the acoustic emission (A E) technique. A quantitative AE technique was developed for a comprehe nsive analysis of the AE waveforms including time domain and frequency . A 3D-localization as well as a classification of the events was impl emented. The characterization of the fracture mechanisms is obtained b y the newly developed relative moment tensor inversion method using a cluster analysis technique. This potentially improves the conclusions of AE measurements and will lead to a better way of assessing the dama ge of concrete. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.