Monitoring Crack Propagation in Reinforced Concrete Shear Walls by Acoustic Emission
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 139, Issue 12
Abstract
In the last two decades, several efforts have been made to monitor the cracking behavior in RC structures. A technique that shows promise is acoustic emission (AE). This paper presents the results of an experimental study aimed at monitoring fracture processes in a large-scale RC shear wall using one of the most important AE parameters, that is, the -value. The specimen was subjected to a displacement controlled reversed cyclic loading. A Gaussian filter is proposed to improve the interpretation of -value data obtained during the test. In addition, a cluster analysis based on the -means is presented to automatically classify the signal into tensile and shear cluster. Finally, a new algorithm called Sifted -value () analysis is introduced to monitor the evolution of each crack mode. The proposed approach is capable to identify the initial yielding and eventually provide an early warning for the planning and implementation of remedial action to the structure at a point at which it is less expensive and invasive than when its structural performance has been seriously compromised.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank the National Science Foundation (NSF) for providing the financial support for this project under Grant No. CMMI-0829978. The experiments presented in this study could not have been completed without contributions from the staff of the Structural Engineering and Earthquake Simulation Laboratory (SEESL) of the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. The authors also thank the advice and help provided by the technical staff at the NEES Equipment Site at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 139 • Issue 12 • December 2013
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 4, 2012
Accepted: Nov 28, 2012
Published online: Dec 1, 2012
Published in print: Dec 1, 2013
Discussion open until: Feb 5, 2014
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