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Detection of Cracking Levels in Brittle Rocks by Parametric Analysis of the Acoustic Emission Signals

Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering volume 49, pages 785–800 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

Determination of the cracking levels during the crack propagation is one of the key challenges in the field of fracture mechanics of rocks. Acoustic emission (AE) is a technique that has been used to detect cracks as they occur across the specimen. Parametric analysis of AE signals and correlating these parameters (e.g., hits and energy) to stress–strain plots of rocks let us detect cracking levels properly. The number of AE hits is related to the number of cracks, and the AE energy is related to magnitude of the cracking event. For a full understanding of the fracture process in brittle rocks, prismatic specimens of granite containing pre-existing flaws have been tested in uniaxial compression tests, and their cracking process was monitored with both AE and high-speed video imaging. In this paper, the characteristics of the AE parameters and the evolution of cracking sequences are analyzed for every cracking level. Based on micro- and macro-crack damage, a classification of cracking levels is introduced. This classification contains eight stages (1) crack closure, (2) linear elastic deformation, (3) micro-crack initiation (white patch initiation), (4) micro-crack growth (stable crack growth), (5) micro-crack coalescence (macro-crack initiation), (6) macro-crack growth (unstable crack growth), (7) macro-crack coalescence and (8) failure.

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Acknowledgments

The research was supported financially through a Collaborative Research and Development Grant from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Hydro-Quebec. The authors would also like to thank Université de Sherbrooke for providing the AE equipment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Zabihallah Moradian & Herbert H. Einstein

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 Boulv. de L’université, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K2R1, Canada

    Zabihallah Moradian & Gerard Ballivy

Authors
  1. Zabihallah Moradian
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  2. Herbert H. Einstein
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  3. Gerard Ballivy
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Correspondence to Zabihallah Moradian.

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Moradian, Z., Einstein, H.H. & Ballivy, G. Detection of Cracking Levels in Brittle Rocks by Parametric Analysis of the Acoustic Emission Signals. Rock Mech Rock Eng 49, 785–800 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-015-0775-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-015-0775-1

Keywords

  • Brittle rocks
  • Fracture mechanics
  • Flaw
  • Cracking levels
  • Acoustic emission
  • AE hits
  • AE energy