A number of laboratory tests (uniaxial, triaxial and hydrostatic) have been
conducted on a dry porous limestone. A conceptual model is proposed to cor
relate deformation and damage fields (including acoustic emission activity)
with the variation of ultrasonic velocities, quality factors and energies
as measures of attenuation. This correlation is presented in a stress devia
tor versus confining pressure diagram. In this way, the successive steps oc
curring in the damage process of this rock are well described. In particula
r, the quality factor of S-waves distinguishes clearly the onset of the ini
tially stable cracking, while the velocity of S-waves and strain measuremen
ts are sensitive to dilatancy which appears later in the damage process of
the limestone studied.