Amadeo Benavent-Climent

An acoustic emission energy index for damage evaluation of reinforced concrete slabs under seismic loads

This article presents the results and analysis of Acoustic Emission (AE) as recorded in a reinforced concrete (RC) slab supported by four steel columns and subjected to earthquake-type dynamic loading on a shake table. Fifteen seismic simulations were conducted using an accelerogram registered during the Campano-Lucano earthquake (Italy, 1980). The peak acceleration applied to the shake table was increased until the slab reinforcement was on the brink of yielding and slippage of the bars within the concrete occurred. This limit state is commonly associated with low-to-moderate intensity earthquakes in earthquake-prone regions. The evolution of damage to the slab was monitored in terms of AE energy and the history of plastic strain energy was calculated from the acceleration and displacement measurements. A good correlation was found between the energy dissipated by the concrete through plastic deformations and the AE energy associated with concrete cracking and friction. On this basis, a tentative formula is proposed for predicting the level of damage to RC slabs, based on the AE energy recorded by sensors located near the region of expected damage concentration under lateral loads.

AE Monitoring for Damage Assessment of RC Exterior Beam-column Subassemblages Subjected to Cyclic Loading

This paper ascertains that Acoustic Emission (AE) monitoring is very effective for assessing the damage of reinforced concrete wide beam-column connections subjected to earthquake-type loadings. A cyclic test is conducted on an exterior connection until its failure. The experimental results show a strong correlation between the hysteretic strain energy and the AE energy histories. For this reason, a tentative formula is proposed, to predict the level of damage and the closeness to failure of the connection on the basis of the AE recorded by one piezoelectric sensor located near the critical zone (i.e., the beam-end and beam-column joint).

Concrete-Galvanized Steel Pull-Out Bond Assessed by Acoustic Emission

AbstractThis paper experimentally investigates the steel-to-concrete bond phenomenon in two kinds of deformed bars: black steel and hot-dip galvanized steel. The differences in the steel-to-concrete bond behavior are identified in terms of the load-slip curves and the acoustic emission (AE) patterns measured during pull-out tests. Test results show that the bond capacity and the initial stiffness of the bond stress–slip curve of black steel are approximately 20 and 50% greater, respectively, than those of galvanized steel, and the slip corresponding to the maximum bond stress is approximately 20% times larger in the latter. By measuring the AE activity, it is possible to identify the transitional points between the four stages characterizing interaction between the concrete and the bar subjected to pull-out force. Each transition coincides with a sudden drop in the AE activity.

Assessment of expected damage on buildings subjected to Lorca earthquake through an energy-based seismic index method and nonlinear dynamic response analyses

The city of Lorca (Spain) was hit on May 11th, 2011, by two consecutive earthquakes of magnitudes 4.6 and 5.2 M

Shake-table tests of a reinforced concrete frame designed following modern codes: seismic performance and damage evaluation

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Intensity measures for the seismic response prediction of mid-rise buildings with hysteretic dampers

w, causing casualties and important damage in buildings. Many of the damaged structures were reinforced concrete frames with wide beams. This study quantifies the expected level of damage on this structural type in the case of the Lorca earthquake by means of a seismic index

Responses When the Earth Trembles: The Impact of Community Awareness Campaigns on Protective Behavior

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