Acoustic Emission Analysis of Corroded Reinforced Concrete Columns under Compressive Loading

In this work, the failure process of non-corroded and corroded reinforced concrete (RC) columns under eccentric compressive loading is studied using the acoustic emission (AE) technique. The results show that reinforcement corrosion considerably affects the mechanical failure process of RC columns. The corrosion of reinforcement in RC columns leads to highly active AE signals at the initial stage of loading, in comparison to the non-corroded counterparts. Also, a continuous AE hit pattern with a higher number of cumulative hits is observed for corroded RC columns. The spatial distribution and evolution of AE events indicate that the reinforcement corrosion noticeably accelerates the initiation and propagation of cracking in the RC columns during compressive loading. The AE characteristics of corroded RC columns are in agreement with the macroscopic failure behaviors observed during the damage and failure process. A damage evolution model of corroded RC columns based on the AE parameters is proposed.