Damage assessment of novel pre-fabricated concrete elements based on Acoustic Emission measurements and Kaiser/Felicity effect analysis

In this study, the structural integrity and mechanical response to service loads of recently designed innovative prefabricated concrete balcony elements is assessed using Acoustic Emission. The elements design considers pair of concrete slabs separated by thermal break. The latter provides structural weight reduction and acoustic/thermal isolation. The thermal break consists of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) blocks and steel/basalt-based rebars that withstand the compressive and tensile forces respectively. The sophisticated design combines different structure materials that respond differently under service loads, develop several damage mechanisms and fail under complex damage patters. Acoustic Emission is applied to monitor the fracture evolution at different loading stages and locate the damage source. The Kaiser and Felicity effect on concrete is extensively discussed. The structural integrity evaluation is performed considering the Kaiser/Felicity Ratio.

ISBN:978-961-93537-3-8

Publication year:2017

Keywords:pre-fabricated concrete, stainless steel, basalt composite, incremental loading, acoustic emission, digital image correlation