Monitoring of damage evolution and crack localization in concrete under splitting test using acoustic emission and digital image correlation

This study focuses on crack monitoring and localisation in concrete cubes reinforced with polymer fibres and steel fibres under a splitting test. Internal cracking behaviour was monitored using the acoustic emission (AE) method, while surface crack localization was achieved with digital image correlation (DIC). The integrated AE and DIC analysis showed that steel fibres can bridge microcracks more effectively than polymer fibres, thereby improving the post-cracking behaviour.