Acoustic Emission Analysis of the Cracking Behavior in ECC-LWSCC Composites

Acoustic emission (AE) analysis was utilized to assess the cracking behavior of six lightweight self-consolidating concrete (LWSCC)–engineering cementitious composite (ECC) beams under flexural loading. Two control beams were fully cast with ECC containing either polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers or st...

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Main Authors: Yara Zaki, Ahmed Abouhussien, Assem Hassan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Applied Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/2/594
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author Yara Zaki
Ahmed Abouhussien
Assem Hassan
author_facet Yara Zaki
Ahmed Abouhussien
Assem Hassan
author_sort Yara Zaki
collection DOAJ
description Acoustic emission (AE) analysis was utilized to assess the cracking behavior of six lightweight self-consolidating concrete (LWSCC)–engineering cementitious composite (ECC) beams under flexural loading. Two control beams were fully cast with ECC containing either polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers or steel fibers (SF). The remaining four beams were ECC-LWSCC composite beams, with the ECC layer containing PVA fibers or SF placed on either the tension or compression side. The results showed that the control beams had the highest ultimate load capacity, followed by beams repaired in tension, and then beams repaired in compression. PVA fibers exhibited higher performance compared to steel fibers at the first crack load, while steel fibers enhanced the beam’s performance at the ultimate load stage. During the flexural testing, AE parameters such as the number of hits, signal amplitude, and cumulative signal strength (CSS) were collected until failure. The analysis of these AE parameters was effective in detecting the first crack and evaluating cracking propagation in all beams. Changing the type of fibers (PVA and SF) in the ECC layer showed a significant effect on AE parameters. Moreover, adding a new ECC layer to an existing LWSCC layer resulted in variations in the signal amplitude. Finally, the flexural failure mode was confirmed with the aid of the rise time/maximum amplitude vs. average frequency analysis.
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spelling doaj-art-26fe5b7d16ad4d8cb56e88e829e8e6702025-01-24T13:19:57ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-01-0115259410.3390/app15020594Acoustic Emission Analysis of the Cracking Behavior in ECC-LWSCC CompositesYara Zaki0Ahmed Abouhussien1Assem Hassan2Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL A1B 3X5, CanadaKinectrics, 393 University Ave, Toronto ON M5G 1E6, CanadaDepartment of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL A1B 3X5, CanadaAcoustic emission (AE) analysis was utilized to assess the cracking behavior of six lightweight self-consolidating concrete (LWSCC)–engineering cementitious composite (ECC) beams under flexural loading. Two control beams were fully cast with ECC containing either polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers or steel fibers (SF). The remaining four beams were ECC-LWSCC composite beams, with the ECC layer containing PVA fibers or SF placed on either the tension or compression side. The results showed that the control beams had the highest ultimate load capacity, followed by beams repaired in tension, and then beams repaired in compression. PVA fibers exhibited higher performance compared to steel fibers at the first crack load, while steel fibers enhanced the beam’s performance at the ultimate load stage. During the flexural testing, AE parameters such as the number of hits, signal amplitude, and cumulative signal strength (CSS) were collected until failure. The analysis of these AE parameters was effective in detecting the first crack and evaluating cracking propagation in all beams. Changing the type of fibers (PVA and SF) in the ECC layer showed a significant effect on AE parameters. Moreover, adding a new ECC layer to an existing LWSCC layer resulted in variations in the signal amplitude. Finally, the flexural failure mode was confirmed with the aid of the rise time/maximum amplitude vs. average frequency analysis.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/2/594acoustic emission analysisECC-LWSCC composite beamsfirst crack detectiondamage quantificationfailure modes
spellingShingle Yara Zaki
Ahmed Abouhussien
Assem Hassan
Acoustic Emission Analysis of the Cracking Behavior in ECC-LWSCC Composites
Applied Sciences
acoustic emission analysis
ECC-LWSCC composite beams
first crack detection
damage quantification
failure modes
title Acoustic Emission Analysis of the Cracking Behavior in ECC-LWSCC Composites
title_full Acoustic Emission Analysis of the Cracking Behavior in ECC-LWSCC Composites
title_fullStr Acoustic Emission Analysis of the Cracking Behavior in ECC-LWSCC Composites
title_full_unstemmed Acoustic Emission Analysis of the Cracking Behavior in ECC-LWSCC Composites
title_short Acoustic Emission Analysis of the Cracking Behavior in ECC-LWSCC Composites
title_sort acoustic emission analysis of the cracking behavior in ecc lwscc composites
topic acoustic emission analysis
ECC-LWSCC composite beams
first crack detection
damage quantification
failure modes
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/2/594
work_keys_str_mv AT yarazaki acousticemissionanalysisofthecrackingbehaviorinecclwscccomposites
AT ahmedabouhussien acousticemissionanalysisofthecrackingbehaviorinecclwscccomposites
AT assemhassan acousticemissionanalysisofthecrackingbehaviorinecclwscccomposites