Compression Damage Precursors of Silane-Protected Concrete Under Sulfate Erosion Based on Acoustic Emission Characterization

Concrete materials exposed to sulfate-rich geological environments are prone to structural durability degradation due to chemical erosion. Silane-based protective materials can enhance the durability of concrete structures under harsh environmental conditions. This study investigates the evolution o...

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Main Authors: Wanmao Zhang, Dunwen Liu, Yu Tang, Yinghua Jian
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Fractal and Fractional
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3110/9/4/254
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author Wanmao Zhang
Dunwen Liu
Yu Tang
Yinghua Jian
author_facet Wanmao Zhang
Dunwen Liu
Yu Tang
Yinghua Jian
author_sort Wanmao Zhang
collection DOAJ
description Concrete materials exposed to sulfate-rich geological environments are prone to structural durability degradation due to chemical erosion. Silane-based protective materials can enhance the durability of concrete structures under harsh environmental conditions. This study investigates the evolution of acoustic emission (AE) precursor characteristics in silane-protected, sulfate-eroded concrete specimens during uniaxial compression failure. Unlike existing research focused primarily on protective material properties, this work establishes a novel framework linking “silane treatment–AE parameters–failure precursor identification”, thereby bridging the research gap in damage evolution analysis of sulfate-eroded concrete under silane protection. Uniaxial compressive strength tests and AE monitoring were conducted on both silane-protected and unprotected sulfate-eroded concrete specimens. A diagnostic system integrating dynamic analysis of the acoustic emission b-value, mutation detection of energy concentration index ρ, and multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MF-DFA) was developed. The results demonstrate that silane-protected specimens exhibited a distinct b-value escalation followed by an abrupt decline prior to peak load, whereas unprotected specimens showed disordered fluctuations. The mutation point of energy concentration ρ for silane-protected specimens occurred at 0.83 σc, representing a 9.2% threshold elevation compared to 0.76 σc for unprotected specimens, confirming delayed damage accumulation in protected specimens. MF-DFA revealed narrowing spectrum width (<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mo>∆</mo><mi>α</mi></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>) in unprotected specimens, indicating reduced heterogeneity in AE signals, while protected specimens maintained significant multifractal divergence. <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mo>∆</mo><mi>f</mi><mfenced separators="|"><mrow><mi>α</mi></mrow></mfenced></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> peak localization revealed that weak AE signals dominated during early loading stages in both groups, with crack evolution primarily involving sliding and friction. During the mid-late elastic phase, crack propagation became the predominant failure mode. Experimental evidence confirms the engineering significance of silane protection in extending service life of concrete structures in sulfate environments. The proposed multi-parameter AE diagnostic methodology provides quantitative criteria for the safety monitoring of protected concrete structures in sulfate-rich conditions.
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spelling doaj-art-9d8f28cc765d448891337fcb9e753ecf2025-08-20T03:13:54ZengMDPI AGFractal and Fractional2504-31102025-04-019425410.3390/fractalfract9040254Compression Damage Precursors of Silane-Protected Concrete Under Sulfate Erosion Based on Acoustic Emission CharacterizationWanmao Zhang0Dunwen Liu1Yu Tang2Yinghua Jian3School of Resources and Safety Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, ChinaSchool of Resources and Safety Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, ChinaCollege of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, ChinaSchool of Resources and Safety Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, ChinaConcrete materials exposed to sulfate-rich geological environments are prone to structural durability degradation due to chemical erosion. Silane-based protective materials can enhance the durability of concrete structures under harsh environmental conditions. This study investigates the evolution of acoustic emission (AE) precursor characteristics in silane-protected, sulfate-eroded concrete specimens during uniaxial compression failure. Unlike existing research focused primarily on protective material properties, this work establishes a novel framework linking “silane treatment–AE parameters–failure precursor identification”, thereby bridging the research gap in damage evolution analysis of sulfate-eroded concrete under silane protection. Uniaxial compressive strength tests and AE monitoring were conducted on both silane-protected and unprotected sulfate-eroded concrete specimens. A diagnostic system integrating dynamic analysis of the acoustic emission b-value, mutation detection of energy concentration index ρ, and multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MF-DFA) was developed. The results demonstrate that silane-protected specimens exhibited a distinct b-value escalation followed by an abrupt decline prior to peak load, whereas unprotected specimens showed disordered fluctuations. The mutation point of energy concentration ρ for silane-protected specimens occurred at 0.83 σc, representing a 9.2% threshold elevation compared to 0.76 σc for unprotected specimens, confirming delayed damage accumulation in protected specimens. MF-DFA revealed narrowing spectrum width (<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mo>∆</mo><mi>α</mi></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>) in unprotected specimens, indicating reduced heterogeneity in AE signals, while protected specimens maintained significant multifractal divergence. <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mo>∆</mo><mi>f</mi><mfenced separators="|"><mrow><mi>α</mi></mrow></mfenced></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> peak localization revealed that weak AE signals dominated during early loading stages in both groups, with crack evolution primarily involving sliding and friction. During the mid-late elastic phase, crack propagation became the predominant failure mode. Experimental evidence confirms the engineering significance of silane protection in extending service life of concrete structures in sulfate environments. The proposed multi-parameter AE diagnostic methodology provides quantitative criteria for the safety monitoring of protected concrete structures in sulfate-rich conditions.https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3110/9/4/254concretesulfate erosionsilaneacoustic emissionmultifractal detrended fluctuation analysis
spellingShingle Wanmao Zhang
Dunwen Liu
Yu Tang
Yinghua Jian
Compression Damage Precursors of Silane-Protected Concrete Under Sulfate Erosion Based on Acoustic Emission Characterization
Fractal and Fractional
concrete
sulfate erosion
silane
acoustic emission
multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis
title Compression Damage Precursors of Silane-Protected Concrete Under Sulfate Erosion Based on Acoustic Emission Characterization
title_full Compression Damage Precursors of Silane-Protected Concrete Under Sulfate Erosion Based on Acoustic Emission Characterization
title_fullStr Compression Damage Precursors of Silane-Protected Concrete Under Sulfate Erosion Based on Acoustic Emission Characterization
title_full_unstemmed Compression Damage Precursors of Silane-Protected Concrete Under Sulfate Erosion Based on Acoustic Emission Characterization
title_short Compression Damage Precursors of Silane-Protected Concrete Under Sulfate Erosion Based on Acoustic Emission Characterization
title_sort compression damage precursors of silane protected concrete under sulfate erosion based on acoustic emission characterization
topic concrete
sulfate erosion
silane
acoustic emission
multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis
url https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3110/9/4/254
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AT dunwenliu compressiondamageprecursorsofsilaneprotectedconcreteundersulfateerosionbasedonacousticemissioncharacterization
AT yutang compressiondamageprecursorsofsilaneprotectedconcreteundersulfateerosionbasedonacousticemissioncharacterization
AT yinghuajian compressiondamageprecursorsofsilaneprotectedconcreteundersulfateerosionbasedonacousticemissioncharacterization