LAUSR

Abstract In this study, a combined approach of several monitoring techniques was applied to allow correlations between the AE activity and related processes such as shrinkage and settlement evolution, capillary pressure and temperature development in fresh cementitious media. AE parameters related to frequency, energy, and cumulative activity which exhibit sensitivity to the particle size distribution of cement paste are compared with inert fly ash (FA) leading to isolation of the mechanical sources from the chemical ones. Characterization of the origin of different processes occurring in cement paste during hydration is complex. Although acoustic emission (AE) monitoring has been used before, a qualitative relation between the microstructural formation or other early-age processes and the number or parameters of AE signals has not been established. The high sensitivity of AE enables the recording of elastic waves within the cementitious material, allowing the detection of even low-intensity activities.