A Novel Acoustic Emission Technique to Monitor Damage Evolution in Masonry Structures

The aim of this work is to analyse the mechanical response of the masonry specimens under long-term action by means of cyclic tests. To this end laboratory tests were carried out at the Non-Destructive Testing Laboratory of the Politecnico di Torino. The Acoustic Emission technique was employed to assess the damage evolution, and the mechanical properties decay in order to evaluate the extent and the evolution of micro and macro-cracking due to cyclic action until structural collapse in masonry blocks and mortar layers by means of a novel Acoustic Emission analysis technique.