Acoustic emission monitoring of mode I fracture toughness tests on sandstone rocks

A series of mode I fracture toughness tests employing the semi-circular bend (SCB) and the pseudo-compact tension (pCT) methodologies have been performed with two sandstone types and specimens of 50 and 100 mm in diameter. The tests were complemented with the concurrent monitoring of acoustic emission (AE) activity using a multi-sensor array. With the obtained data, we compare and analyse the two testing methods, the mechanical evolution along...