Acoustic Emission (AE) is a non – destructive testing technique that allows the recording of the elastic waves released during crack propagation when materials are subjected to different stresses. Most of the current research evaluates AE characteristics related to mechanically stressed materials. However, there are hardly any references to studies that target how thermal or thermos – mechanical stresses influence AE recordings. Consequently, an experimental campaign has been designed to characterize high–strength mortar specimens, subjected to different temperatures while performing simple compression tests and monitoring the AE. The research has allowed obtaining interesting results in line with the objectives set for this study. Thus, it has been possible to establish that: 1) temperature affects the simple compressive strength of the material studied, 2) the recording of AE associated with thermal stresses is possible and 3) the combination of thermal and mechanical stresses increases the recording of AE parameters.
Acoustic emission (AE) is a non-destructive technique that allows the monitoring of the elastic waves generated during crack propagation in materials subjected to different stresses. Its main interest lies in the fact that it enables continuous monitoring of the tensional state of the material (Boniface et al., 2020).
Currently, this technique is acquiring great relevance in the field of engineering, especially for the characterization of materials, such as mortars, concretes or rocks, subjected to mechanical stresses (Verstrynge et al., 2021). Thus, the analysis of the different parameters of the AE waves allows to differentiate the moments of greatest plastic deformation, to understand the fracture process and to evaluate the general state of the material at each moment (D. G. Aggelis et al., 2013).
The mechanical stresses to which materials are subjected are important in assessing the safety and failure mechanisms of structures. However, so are thermal stresses, generated by fires, thermal gradients, or other phenomena, since they also affect the mechanical properties of materials (Yanjie et al., 2022). Despite this, only some research which focused on how temperature affects damage evolution in materials such as rocks (Zhang et al., 2020) has been found.
