Simulation of Acoustic Emission Using the Discrete Element Method: Application to Failure Analysis of Masonry Walls Subjected to In-Plane Loading

Acoustic emission (AE) is a vital non-destructive technique for monitoring damage in materials, yet its simulation via the Discrete Element Method (DEM) has historically been limited to material-scale analysis. This research presents a novel application of block-based DEM to simulate AE signals in masonry structures at the structural scale under quasi-static in-plane loading. Using a simplified micro-modeling approach, the study first validates the method by monitoring crack initiation and AE energy in single mortar bed joints under tensile and shear conditions. The methodology is then scaled to a large-scale masonry wall panel (1.835 × 1.170 × 0.15 m3) subjected to monotonic shear loading. A critical finding is the influence of local damping; a reduced damping ratio of 0.3 is recommended to preserve the kinetic energy necessary for capturing clear velocity signals. Numerical results show strong agreement with experimental force-displacement and cumulative AE energy curves, confirming the model’s robustness. Furthermore, frequency analysis of the simulated signals successfully distinguishes between tensile and shear failure modes. This study fills a significant gap in the literature by demonstrating that DEM is an effective predictive tool for structural-scale failure analysis and AE monitoring in heterogeneous masonry.