Damage of Reinforced Concrete qualified by AE

In order to assess the damage levels of the structures, one criterion based on the Kaiser effect of acoustic emission ( AE ) is proposed . 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 by using reinforced concrete beams which are damaged under incremental-cyclic loading. It is found that the damages qualified by the two ratios are 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