ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL CONCRETE ABSTRACTS PORTAL

  • The International Concrete Abstracts Portal is an ACI led collaboration with leading technical organizations from within the international concrete industry and offers the most comprehensive collection of published concrete abstracts.

International Concrete Abstracts Portal

  


Title: A Global Integrity Parameter with Acoustic Emission for Load Testing of Prestressed Concrete Girders

Author(s): Francisco A. Barrios and Paul H. Ziehl

Publication: Structural Journal

Volume: 112

Issue: 1

Appears on pages(s): 3-12

Keywords: girder; prestress; structural load test

DOI: 10.14359/51687294

Date: 1/1/2015

Abstract:
Structural evaluation of existing infrastructure has become a critical subject in civil engineering. In recent years, significant efforts have been placed on developing nondestructive techniques such as acoustic emission monitoring that can effectively assess the integrity of a structure without causing significant damage. However, acoustic emission methods face challenges regarding the subjectivity of associated performance evaluation criteria and a lack of measurable parameters directly related to the mechanical response of the system. It has been previously suggested that an integrated approach of the cyclic load testing method with acoustic emission techniques may overcome these difficulties and constitute a more effective, nondestructive load testing methodology. The current investigation analyzes experimental data gathered from flexural testing of six full-scale prestressed girder specimens (lightweight and normalweight) and presents a potential approach for damage detection and assessment within the minor to intermediate damage zones based on acoustic emission data.