Analysis of the acoustic emission technique used in laboratory tests of reinforced-concrete structures

Deformation, crack generation, and fracture of reinforced-concrete structures are studied experimentally. Acoustic emission is used as one of the testing techniques to monitor the development of these processes. The performed experimental studies confirm the possibility of using the acoustic-emission technique to study the accumulation kinetics of flaws in reinforced-concrete structures and theoretically predicting fracturing when it is still difficult to do so on the basis of macroscopic observations. It is established that laboratory acoustic-emission tests of reinforced-concrete samples provide the necessary experimental basis for developing the theory of the deformation and fracture of reinforced concrete.