Fracture characterization of composite slabs with different connections based on acoustic emission parameters

Damage fracture characteristics of composite slabs with different connection configurations were analyzed using acoustic emission (AE) with cast-in-place (CIP) reinforced concrete (RC) slabs as contrast. AE characteristic parameters were obtained during static experiments and compared with each other. The bearing capacity was directly proportional to cumulative AE energy, rise time, and duration time, of which the correlation coefficient of rise time was the highest and reached 99.99%. The whole fracture process could be divided into three stages. Compared to CIP slabs, the rates of energy release in the former two stages were slower, which caused the worse ductility. Meanwhile, many other differences among the tested slabs were captured in aspects of energy release, crack development, and severity. Finally, the quantitative analysis of damage classifications was performed under various load levels. The experimental results were beneficial to advance the application of AE in fields of damage analysis and health monitoring for composite slabs.