Damage Assessment of Reinforced Concrete Slabs Using Acoustic Emission and Numerical Modeling
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65568/gujes.2026.020111Keywords:
Acoustic emission; Reinforced concrete slabs; Finite element modeling; Damage assessment; Crack development; Structural behaviorAbstract
This study presents an experimental and numerical investigation of damage development in reinforced concrete slabs subjected to monotonic loading. Acoustic emission (AE) monitoring was used to evaluate crack initiation and progression during loading. Time–frequency analysis techniques were applied to characterize changes in the frequency content of AE signals associated with damage evolution. The experimental results showed clear variations in acoustic emission characteristics as cracking developed and localized within the slab.
To support the experimental observations, nonlinear finite element modeling based on the Concrete Damaged Plasticity model was performed. Good agreement was observed between the numerical tensile damage distribution and the acoustic emission activity recorded during testing. The results indicate that combining acoustic emission monitoring with numerical modeling provides a practical approach for assessing damage development in reinforced concrete structural elements.
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