Cement-based composites belong among the basic building materials used in civil engineering. Their properties are given not only by their composition but also by their behaviour after mixing, as well as by the methods of curing. Monitoring the processes and phenomena during the early stages of setting is vital for determining the resulting properties and durability. The acoustic emission method is a unique non-destructive method that can detect structural changes as a cement-based composite is setting. It can also detect the onset and growth of cracks during the service life of a cement-based composite since the moment it has been mixed. The paper discusses the use of the acoustic emission method with a focus on the early stage of the lifespan of a cement-based composite including the measures necessary for its use and description of the parameters of acoustic emission signals.

Frost resistance is one of the most frequent characteristics of concrete. It is a very complex subject and the test methods themselves are still in development and the international consensus on methodology is still sought, too. The determination concrete frost resistance takes several weeks, months or even more than a year. However micro-structural changes as micro-cracks have not been described sufficiently. Acoustic Emission Method as unusual Non-Destructive Methods can help to monitor structural changes during common frost resistance measuring. Note the Acoustic Emission Method detects only active “defects” into monitored structure. Thus when e.g. crack grows some acoustic waves spread from crack place, i. e. from acoustic emission source. The method does not detect geometric discontinuities and “passive” defects. Selected Non-Destructive Methods as Ultrasound, Non-Linear Ultrasonic Spectroscopy, Impact Echo etc. are used to confirm micro-structural changes. The article describes the first experiment with its imperfections, difficulties and possibilities.

The article deals with the field of use of acoustic emission (AE) measurement in engineering structures. The research particularly focuses on the assessment of acoustic emission during an experimental test of the load-carrying capacity of concrete slabs on the ground. A wider field of research includes structural and material optimization of advanced engineering structures. The tests of concrete slabs are then carried out in an alternate solution which differs in the used concrete or steel fibre reinforced concrete (FRC). The experimental program then includes typical measurement methods using displacement sensors and strain gauges. Non-destructive methods of measurement including acoustic emission have been used with an eye to the configuration of the experiment and deeper understanding of the actual behaviour and damage to the structure allowing for subsequent optimization and non-linear simulation of slab computation. The aim of the submitted article is to present and assess the acoustic emission as a non-destructive method which can be used to detect damage and determine the load-bearing capacity of the selected type of a FRC structure.

The contribution summarises the experimental experience of authors with acoustic emission method application in the area of improved bearing materials contact damage stages identification on testing stations Axmat and R-mat types. The paper is focused also on the first experimental results received from measurements on real axial bearings. These results proved the acoustic emission (AE) technique enables reliable recognition of running-in period, stabilised run and exact definition of origin stage of material surface damaging, leading to the pitting. It is proposed that the direction of AE analysers utilisation not only in research area, but the AE technique may be successfully used even in industrial practice. Method of acoustic emission may offer another possibility of deepening of diagnostics of real actual state of bearing; it is, without doubt, one of new perspective areas of automated diagnostics.

This manuscript deals with a complex analysis of acoustic emission signals that were recorded during freeze-thaw cycles in test specimens produced from air-entrained concrete. An assessment of the resistance of concrete to the effects of freezing and thawing was conducted on the basis of a signal analysis. Since the experiment simulated testing of concrete in a structure, a concrete block with the height of 2.4 m and width of 1.8 m was produced to represent a real structure. When the age of the concrete was two months, samples were obtained from the block by core drilling and were subsequently used to produce test specimens. Testing of freeze-thaw resistance of concrete employed both destructive and non-destructive methods including the measurement of acoustic emission, which took place directly during the freeze-thaw cycles. The recorded acoustic emission signals were then meticulously analysed. The aim of the conducted experiments was to verify whether measurement using the acoustic emission method during Freeze-thaw (F-T) cycles are more sensitive to the degree of damage of concrete than the more commonly employed construction testing methods. The results clearly demonstrate that the acoustic emission method can reveal changes (e.g., minor cracks) in the internal structure of concrete, unlike other commonly used methods. The analysis of the acoustic emission signals using a fast Fourier transform revealed a significant shift of the dominant frequency towards lower values when the concrete was subjected to freeze-thaw cycling.