Acoustic emission monitoring of reinforced concrete wall-slab connections

Abstract This study uses the acoustic emission (AE) technique to investigate the damage levels and mechanisms of two reinforced concrete (RC) wall-slab connections under a cyclic reverse loading. The first was tested until failure, whereas the second was tested only up to steel yielding. The classical AE signals parameters were investigated using univariate analysis and clustering methods. The univariate analysis of AE data enabled the definition of criteria to distinguish the damage levels of the connections. The clustering method provided information on damage mechanisms in RC wall-slab connections. Four mechanisms were then identified (mode-I and mode-II cracking and two mixed modes), and their chronologies were correlated with the mechanical results (non-linear part of the envelope curve, steel yielding).