Assessing Damage of Reinforced Concrete Beam Using “b -value” Analysis of Acoustic Emission Signals
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 15, Issue 3
Abstract
Concrete bridges in the United Kingdom represent a major legacy that is starting to show signs of distress. Therefore, the need for monitoring them is an urgent task. The acoustic emission (AE) technique was proposed as a valid method for monitoring these bridges but more study is needed to develop methods of analyzing the data recorded during the monitoring. The writers would like to propose a b-value analysis as a possible way to process AE data obtained during a local monitoring. The b-value is defined as the log-linear slope of the frequency-magnitude distribution of acoustic emissions. This paper presents the results of a b-value analysis carried out on data recorded during a laboratory test on a reinforced concrete beam designed as representative of a bridge beam. During the experiment, the specimen was loaded cyclically and it was continuously monitored with an AE system. The data obtained were processed and a b-value analysis was carried out. The b-value was compared with the applied load, with a damage parameter, and with the cracks appearing on the beam. The damage parameter represents the cumulative damage in terms of total sum of acoustic emissions. The results showed a good agreement with the development of the fracture process of the concrete. From a study of the b-value calculated for a whole loading cycle and for each channel, some quantitative conclusions were also drawn. Further development work is needed to make the b-value technique suitable for practical use on a real bridge.
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 15 • Issue 3 • June 2003
Pages: 280 - 286
Copyright
Copyright © 2003 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 7, 2002
Accepted: Dec 4, 2002
Published online: May 15, 2003
Published in print: Jun 2003
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