Assessment of the Failure Process of Self-Compacting Concrete Modified With SIO2 Nanoparticles by Acoustic Emission Method

One of the new directions in self-compacting concrete (SCC) research is the modification of its composition with the addition of nanoparticles, which due to their unique properties are believed to improve the mechanical properties of cementitious composites. An important issue concerning the mechanical behavior of concrete under compression load is the failure process. At the moment, however, there is no knowledge of the effect of nanoparticles on the failure process of compressed SCC. The aim of the work is to investigate the failure process of compressed self-compacting concrete based on coarse and fine granite aggregate made both without and with SiO 2 nanoparticles in the amount of 2.0% and 4.0% of the cement weight. The research includes the determination of the levels of the initial cracking stresses σ i and the critical stresses σ cr that delimit individual stages of the studied process. Investigations were carried out using the acoustic emission (AE) method, and during the tests the recorded descriptors were the sum of counts (N c ) and the average effective value of the acoustic emission signal (RMS). The paper shows that the addition of SiO 2 nanoparticles has a positive effect on the failure process of compressed SCC. Moreover, the practical aspect of the obtained results for engineering purposes is provided.