Title: Damage Assessment of Reinforced Concrete Beams Qualified by Acoustic Emission

Author(s): Masayasu Ohtsu, Masakatsu Uchida, Takahisa Okamoto, and Shigenori Yuyama

Publication: Structural Journal

Volume: 99

Issue: 4

Appears on pages(s): 411-417

Keywords: beam; damage; reinforced concrete

DOI: 10.14359/12109

Date: 7/1/2002

Abstract:
Acoustic emission (AE) techniques have been extensively studied in concrete engineering and are currently going to be applied to monitoring concrete structures in service. In order to assess the damage levels of the structures, one criterion based on the Kaiser effect of AE is proposed in the recommended practice recently published by the Japanese Society for Non-Destructive Inspection. New AE parameters of load ratio and calm ratio are defined for qualification of the damages. Accordingly, the feasibility of the damage qualification is experimentally examined using reinforced concrete beams damaged under incremental cyclic loading. It was found that the damages qualified by the two ratios were in good agreement with actual damages of the beams. This suggests that the damages of such reinforced concrete structures in service as bridges, docks, and buildings are quantitatively assessed by simply applying cyclic loading and monitoring AE activity.