Classification of cracking mode in concrete by acoustic emission parameters

The study occupies with acoustic emission monitoring of several types of concrete during bending. The signals emitted at the different fracturing stages exhibit distinct signatures. Specifically, frequency and shape parameters of the acquired waveforms shift during the experiment, closely following the sequence of fracture mechanisms from tensile micro-cracking to brittle macro-cracking and fiber pull out. A number of AE indices are proposed, the use of which will enable classification of the cracks according to their mode. The study sheds light to the fracture process of cementitious materials, and enables a warning against the final failure. The simplicity of the scheme renders it applicable in situ.     

Energy Emissions from Failure Phenomena: Mechanical,Electromagnetic, Nuclear

Characterizing the nature of the different forms of energy emitted during compressive failure of brittle materials is an open and debated argument in the scientific literature. Some research has been already conducted on this subject in the scientific community based on the signals captured by the acoustic emission measurement systems. On the other hand, there are not many studies yet about the emission of electromagnetic charge, and for the first time we are talking about piezonuclear neutron emissions from very brittle failure of rocks specimens in compression. The authors analyze these three different emissions from an experimental point of view.     

Experimental study and numerical modeling of brittle fracture of carbonate rock under uniaxial compression

The brittle carbonate rock taken from the Tarim Oilfield is tested in laboratory under uniaxial compression. The acoustic emission (AE) is used to monitor the microcracking activity in rock during the experiment. Moreover, the 3D tomograms of carbonate rock after uniaxial compression are obtained by using CT imaging technology, which indicates that microcracks mutually interconnect and eventually form macroscopic fractures after failure. The PFC2D is used to model the behavior of brittle rock including microcracks propagation. The stress–strain curve and cracks distribution in rock model are obtained from the PFC simulation. The numerical results agree with the experimental test well.     

Piezonuclear Fission Reactions from Earthquakes and Brittle Rocks Failure: Evidence of Neutron Emission and Non-Radioactive Product Elements

Neutron emission measurements, by means of He³ devices and bubble detectors, were performed during three different kinds of compression tests on brittle rocks: (i) under monotonic displacement control, (ii) under cyclic loading, and (iii) by ultrasonic vibration. The material used for the tests was Luserna stone, with different specimen sizes and shapes, and consequently with different brittleness numbers. Some studies had been already conducted on the different forms of energy emitted during the failure of brittle materials. They are based on the signals captured by acoustic emission measurement systems, or on the detection of electromagnetic charge. On the other hand, piezonuclear neutron emissions from very brittle rock specimens in compression have been discovered only very recently. In this paper, the authors analyse this phenomenon from an experimental point of view. Since the analyzed material contains iron, additional experiments have been performed on steel specimens subjected to tension and compression, observing, also in this case, neutron emissions well distinguishable from the background level. Our conjecture is that piezonuclear reactions involving fission of iron into aluminum, or into magnesium and silicon, should have occurred during compression damage and failure. This hypothesis is confirmed by the direct evidence of Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) tests conducted on the specimens. It is also interesting to emphasize that the anomalous chemical balances of the major events that have affected the geomechanical and geochemical evolution of the Earth’s Crust should be considered as an indirect evidence of the piezonuclear fission reactions considered above.     

Self-similarity in rock cracking and related complex critical exponents

The purpose of this paper is to further confirm some interpretations we made previously from materials or rock structure in term of the requirement of the introduction of complex critical exponents, where catastrophic brittle fracture is considered as a kind of second-order phase transition by analogy with percolation phenomenon. We propose here, using acoustic emission measurement data, a more complete experimental validation to support our previous conjecture that, “the higher the grain size and power supply, the longer range the interaction, and therefore the higher the imaginary part of complex critical exponents,” [Moura, A., Lei, X.L, Nishizawa, O., 2005. Prediction scheme for the catastrophic failure of highly loaded brittle materials or rocks. J. Mech. Phys. Solids 53(11), 2435-2455].     

Q235钢细观损伤声发射源动态观测实验研究

金属材料细观损伤过程伴随有瞬态应力波的释放,利用声发射检测技术可采集到应力波的信息,但由于缺少直观可视的手段,利用声发射信息定量评价金属材料的细观损伤存在困难。本文将SEMtester1000原位拉伸试验机、MZ1000正置显微镜和PCI-2型声发射检测系统相结合,搭建了声发射源动态观测实验系统。以Q235钢可视化原位拉伸实验为例,获取了晶体的滑移和夹杂物的断裂两种典型声发射源图像及对应的声发射信号。通过对不同声发射源信号的分析可知,滑移是一个持续的过程,复杂的滑移活动会产生多类型的声发射信号。夹杂物断裂是瞬态过程,产生典型的突发型声发射信号,能量较滑移信号更高。依据声发射源动态观察结果及图像分析,建立了基于声发射机制的Q235钢细观损伤模型。     

混凝土材料三点弯曲破坏的声发射特性

为了研究碎石混凝土材料在不同应力状态下的声发射信号特征,在MTS材料试验机上对混凝土梁进行了三点弯曲实验,并利用先进的多通道声发射系统监测了混凝土梁在三点弯曲载荷下的破坏过程。通过对声发射信号的持续时间、振铃计数、撞击数进行滤波,将混凝土材料破坏过程的声发射信号分成七种类型,同时结合前人关于混凝土材料Kaiser效应的试验研究,将七种类型的声发射信号对应于不同的相对应力水平。研究结果表明,声发射信号的持续时间、振铃计数以及撞击数不仅可以表征混凝土破坏过程的类型,还可以表征混凝土材料所处的应力状态,从而为声发射技术在线监测混凝土材料提供了一种新的途径。     

Acoustic signature of different fracture modes in marble and cementitious materials under flexural load

The present study deals with the examination of the acoustic emission signatures of distinct fracture modes. Tensile and mixed mode cracking is excited in specimens of marble and cement mortar and the acoustic emission behavior is monitored. Tensile cracking incidents show a preference to higher frequencies and shorter waveforms unlike shear events. The results imply that adequate analysis of simple AE features enables the characterization of the current fracture condition of the material and consequently predictions on the remaining safe service life for monolithic, as well as microstructured materials.     

Amplitude-distribution analysis of acoustic emission

Amplitude distribution of acoustic-emission events generated during fracture of materials contains the potential information about the fracture mechanisms. A methodology is developed for the analysis of acousticemission burst signals. Based on this, the amplitude distributions can be characterized from the cumulative counts and events data alone. This simplifies the equipment as well as the data analysis. A model for amplitude distribution is proposed here, which can potentially identify two mechanisms operating simultaneously. It is also shown analytically that cumulative counts (N) are linearly related to summation of amplitudes of events and thatN can be considered a measure of the total energy of acoustic emission only if the amplitude distribution does not change significantly.     

Microcracking and Fracture Process in Cement Mortar and Concrete: A Comparative Study Using Acoustic Emission Technique

This article reports the acoustic emission (AE) study of precursory micro-cracking activity and fracture behaviour of quasi-brittle materials such as concrete and cement mortar. In the present study, notched three-point bend specimens (TPB) were tested under crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) control at a rate of 0.0004 mm/sec and the accompanying AE were recorded using a 8 channel AE monitoring system. The various AE statistical parameters including AE event rate $ \left( {\frac{dn }{dt }} \right) $ , AE energy release rate $ \left( {\frac{dE }{dt }} \right) $ , amplitude distribution for computing the AE based b-value, cumulative energy (ΣE) and ring down count (RDC) were used for the analysis. The results show that the micro-cracks initiated and grew at an early stage in mortar in the pre peak regime. While in the case of concrete, the micro-crack growth occurred during the peak load regime. However, both concrete and mortar showed three distinct stages of micro-cracking activity, namely initiation, stable growth and nucleation prior to the final failure. The AE statistical behavior of each individual stage is dependent on the number and size distribution of micro-cracks. The results obtained in the laboratory are useful to understand the various stages of micro-cracking activity during the fracture process in quasi-brittle materials such as concrete & mortar and extend them for field applications.     

Acoustic emission monitoring of crack propagation in additively manufactured and conventional titanium components

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a novel and innovative production technology that can produce complex and lightweight engineering products. In AM components, as in all engineering materials, fatigue is considered as one of the principle causes of unexpected failure. In order to detect, localise and characterise cracks in various material components and metals, acoustic emission (AE) is used as a non-destructive monitoring technique. One of the main advantages of AE is that it can be also used for dynamic damage characterisation and specifically for crack propagation monitoring. In this research, we use AE to monitor the fatigue crack growth behaviour of Ti6Al4V components under four-point bending. The samples were produced by means of AM as well as conventional material. Notched and unnotched specimens were investigated with respect to the crack severity and crack detection using AE. The main AE signal parameters –such as cumulative events, hits, duration, average frequency and rise time– were evaluated and indicate sensitivity to damage propagation in order to lead to a warning against the final fracture occurrence. This is the first time that AE is applied in AM components under fatigue.     

Estimation of Fracture Toughness of Metallic Materials Using Instrumented Indentation: Critical Indentation Stress and Strain Model

We propose a generalized approach based on fracture mechanics and contact mechanics to estimate the fracture toughness in metallic materials from instrumented indentation testing. Models were developed for brittle and ductile fracture. Different criteria were applied to each model to determine the critical fracture point during indentation. For brittle fracture, the critical fracture point was defined in terms of the critical mean pressure; for ductile fracture, the critical fracture point was derived from fracture strain and critical plastic zone size. Each fracture criterion was used to determine the indentation fracture energy corresponding to the fracture energy required for crack extension. The fracture toughness was estimated for various metallic materials using each model and compared with standard fracture toughness tests.     

基于巴西劈裂试验的岩石声发射特性及断口特征分析

为综合研究岩石在拉伸状态下的破裂机理,对花岗岩、灰岩、砂岩、大理岩4种岩石进行巴西劈裂试验,采用PCI-2声发射仪采集试样破裂全过程的声发射信号,利用扫描电镜研究试样断口的微观结构,并探讨了岩石破裂声发射信号与断口微观特征之间的关系。试验结果表明:岩石破裂声发射信号的特征与断口微观特征可联合表征岩石在劈裂荷载下的破坏机理。在劈裂荷载下,岩石破裂产生的声发射信号的累计振铃计数呈稳定增长期、突增期、平静期3个阶段,且峰值频率呈带状分布,分别集中于0~50kHz,100~150kHz及300kHz上下3个频率段;岩石断口微观特征为典型的脆性拉伸断口样貌,且断口花样的复杂程度与振铃计数率呈正相关,断口破裂尺度与峰值频率呈负相关。     

高径比对砂岩单轴压缩声发射特性的影响研究

岩石尺寸效应对声发射特性的影响对于利用声发射技术监测岩石失稳破坏具有重要的实践意义。本文选择不同高径比的长石细砂岩试样开展单轴压缩声发射试验,探讨尺寸效应对岩石声发射事件数、振铃计数、峰值频率等声发射特性参数的影响。研究结果表明:根据岩石试件撞击数的增长速率,将试件破坏阶段分为突变期、平静期、爆发期三个阶段,随着岩石试件高径比增加,声发射的撞击数相应增加,增加趋势与试件高径比的增加呈近似线性相关关系;随着岩石试件高径比的减小,振铃计数突变期时间占比相应减小,平静期振铃计数也相应减小;岩石试件的加载破坏的峰值频率主要呈现高频和低频两个集中分布区,随着高径比减小,岩石试件加载破坏的峰值频率逐渐由低频区向高频区过渡,同时峰值频率的离散性也在增加。试验成果丰富了岩石声发射特性的基础数据,并可为实际工程中声发射技术的实践应用提供参考。     

金属材料脆性断裂机理的实验研究

材料的脆性断裂有许多准则和模型,但对脆断机理和变化规律缺乏合理的描述,给工程应用带来不便。本文对典型脆性材料球墨铸铁、灰铸铁分别进行了拉扭双轴断裂实验和常规拉伸、扭转破坏实验;对韧性金属材料合金钢进行了单轴拉伸颈缩破坏实验。通过上述实验分析了脆性材料和韧性材料发生脆性断裂的机理特征并选择应力三维度作为应力状态参数描述危险点的应力状态,同时考察了脆性材料和韧性材料发生脆性断裂的主导因素。结果表明:韧性材料45#钢和14CrNiMoV合金钢在颈缩断面心部应力三维度值较大时发生脆性拉断,而在颈缩断面边缘处应力三维度值较小时发生剪断;脆性材料球墨铸铁在应力三维度值为0.0～0.33之间变化时均发生脆性断裂;灰铸铁在应力三维度值大于0.0时发生脆性拉断,而在应力三维度值小于0.0时发生剪断。因此可以认为,材料的细观组织结构和危险点应力状态是影响断裂机理及变化规律的主要因素。对于同种材料,随着应力三维度代数值从小向大变化材料的断裂机制由塑性剪切断裂逐渐转变为脆性断裂。本文通过对几种材料的脆性断裂危险点和断裂方向的研究给出了脆断宏观破坏条件。     

Crack tip blunting and cleavage under dynamic conditions

In structural materials with both brittle and ductile phases, cracks often initiate within the brittle phase and propagate dynamically towards the ductile phase. The macroscale, quasistatic toughness of the material thus depends on the outcome of this microscale, dynamic process. Indeed, dynamics has been hypothesized to suppress dislocation emission, which may explain the occurrence of brittle transgranular fracture in mild steels at low temperatures (Lin et al., 1987). Here, crack tip blunting and cleavage under dynamic conditions are explored using continuum mechanics and molecular dynamics simulations. The focus is on two questions: (1) whether dynamics can affect the energy barriers for dislocation emission and cleavage, and (2) what happens in the dynamic “overloaded” situation, in which both processes are energetically possible. In either case, dynamics may shift the balance between brittle cleavage and ductile blunting, thereby affecting the intrinsic ductility of the material. To explore these effects in simulation, a novel interatomic potential is used for which the intrinsic ductility is tunable, and a novel simulation technique is employed, termed as a “dynamic cleavage test”, in which cracks can be run dynamically at a prescribed energy release rate into a material. Both theory and simulation reveal, however, that the intrinsic ductility of a material is unaffected by dynamics. The energy barrier to dislocation emission appears to be identical in quasi-static and dynamic conditions, and, in the overloaded situation, ductile crack tip behavior ultimately prevails since a single emission event can blunt and arrest the crack, preventing further cleavage. Thus, dynamics cannot embrittle a ductile material, and the origin of brittle failure in certain alloys (e.g., mild steels) appears unrelated to dynamic effects at the crack tip.     

Discontinuous bifurcation analysis in fracture energy-based gradient plasticity for concrete

Conditions for discontinuous bifurcation in limit states of selective non-local thermodynamically consistent gradient theory for quasi-brittle materials like concrete are evaluated by means of both geometrical and analytical procedures. This constitutive formulation includes two internal lengths, one related to the strain gradient field that considers the degradation of the continuum in the vicinity of the considered material point. The other characteristic length takes into account the material degradation in the form of energy release in the cracks during failure process evolution.The variation from ductile to brittle failure in quasi-brittle materials is accomplished by means of the pressure dependent formulation of both characteristic lengths as described by Vrech and Etse (2009).In this paper the formulation of the localization ellipse for constitutive theories based on gradient plasticity and fracture energy plasticity is proposed as well as the explicit solutions for brittle failure conditions in the form of discontinuous bifurcation. The geometrical, analytical and numerical analysis of discontinuous bifurcation condition in this paper are comparatively evaluated in different stress states and loading conditions.The included results illustrate the capabilities of the thermodynamically consistent selective non-local gradient constitutive theory to reproduce the transition from ductile to brittle and localized failure modes in the low confinement regime of concrete and quasi-brittle materials.     

The effect of crack orientation on fracture behavior of tantalum by multiscale simulation

The quasicontinuum (QC) multiscale method is used to investigate anisotropic fracture behaviors of body-centered cubic (BCC) rare metal tantalum (Ta) loaded in Mode I and different fracture mechanisms are discussed from nanoscopic to continuum perspectives to have a deep understanding of brittle and ductile fracture. Initial crack deflection, brittle fracture by cleaving along low surface energy plane, ductile fracture as a result of dislocation emission and fracture accompanied by deformation twinning are all observed near crack tips of different crystal orientations. Particularly, some of these fracture mechanisms are found to be consistent with the latest experimental results. By examining different fracture behaviors, we find the surface energy and the available slip planes play a combined role in determining the fracture mechanisms near a crack tip. Both isotropic and anisotropic critical stress intensity factors are derived and compared for different crack orientations. A straightforward criterion that is proved to be applicable is used to distinguish brittle fracture from ductile fracture.