Analysis of Splitting Resistance and Damage Evolution of Fiber Reinforced Concrete Based on Acoustic Emission Parameters

Abstract

Aiming at the splitting resistance and damage process of fiber reinforced concrete, this study uses a universal testing machine and an acoustic emission (AE) system to carry out splitting resistance tests on plain concrete and reinforced concrete containing steel fibers, polypropylene fibers, and cellulose fibers. Load-displacement curves and AE parameters were collected. By analyzing parameters such as load, displacement, ring-down count, average frequency (AF), and rise time/amplitude (RA), the splitting resistance and damage evolution laws of different fiber-reinforced concrete materials were analyzed. The results show that the steel fiber specimen has the highest splitting tensile strength, which is 45.9% higher than that of plain concrete. AE ring-down count shows that the peak ring-down count of the steel fiber specimen is the largest; the duration of the ring-down count of the polypropylene and cellulose specimens is close to that of plain concrete. The proportion of tensile cracks in all specimens is >60%, and the fibers delay the tensile failure by inducing shear energy dissipation. The damage mode of steel fiber concrete changes from interface slip to plastic deformation. Steel fibers significantly improve the ductility of concrete through the bridging effect. This study can provide support for the optimization of engineering structure performance.