Acoustic Emission Signatures of Microcrack Damage in Rock: Laboratory Investigations

In recent decades, controlled laboratory experiments of rock fracture & friction, and monitoring and analyses of accompanying acoustic emissions (AE), and application of fractals to investigate the failure zone development and its growth in rock under simulated field conditions have become possible. This development has contributed more to the fracture mechanics research of rock as well as for better planning and execution of field experiments aimed at structural health monitoring, and forewarning and control of rock bursts in deep mines etc. Furthermore, the utilization of simpler and PC-based AE monitoring systems can yield fruitful results to detect, track, analyze and quantify the various stages of microcrack damage in rock as detailed in this monograph. Among various parameters, the occurrence rate of AE events and energy, b-values, cumulative energy counts and energy per event have been found to be more helpful to make a detailed study and quantify the stress-induced microcrack damage in rock. This monograph will be useful for active researchers, academicians, NDT professionals and graduate students of geological sciences and related engineering fields.