Acoustic emission for monitoring a reinforced concrete beam subject to four-point-bending

Acoustic emission (AE) analysis is applied to monitor the deterioration progress of a reinforced concrete beam under loading in a laboratory test. Accuracy of AE locations is discussed. Picking of signal onsets was done using an automatic routine that showed reliable results compared to manually set picks. Elastic wave propagation was numerically modeled to quantify perturbations by a grouted or ungrouted tendon. In the experiments, temporal and spatial occurrence of AE correlates with macroscopically observed deterioration progress. The location capability decreases when cracking of the concrete occurs. Location results then may not represent all ongoing deterioration processes.