Comparison of acoustic emission activity in steel-reinforced and FRP-reinforced concrete beams

摘要

In order to compare the acoustic emission signature of concrete beams reinforced with fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) or steel re-bars, a total of 16 203×203×1320-mm FRP-RC and steel-RC beams were tested under bending. The FRP-RC beams emitted higher activity and peak amplitude than their steel-RC counterparts. They also had lower felicity ratios, showed higher activity at each load drop, and emitted signals even during the unloading process. These characteristics were attributed to the lower stiffness, larger deflections, and brittleness of FRP re-bars, as well as their lower bond strength with concret.