Mechanical and Acoustic Emission Characteristics of Limestone after High Temperature

Abstract

The mechanical properties and acoustic emission evolution process of limestone under the action of high temperature load were investigated by combining methods of uniaxial compression test and acoustic emission (AE) technique. The temperature varies in the range of 100, 200, 400, 600 and 800°C. By analysis of AE parameters and the mechanical parameter, the relations of stress-time (strain)-accumulative counts of AE, stress-time (strain)-AE rates under different temperatures are analyzed. The results show that the temperature does not obviously affect the mechanical properties of limestone at the temperature ranging from 100 to 400°C, the accumulative ring-down counts and accumulative energy increase with the rise of temperature. However, when the temperature is above 400°C, the mechanical properties of limestone deteriorate rapidly with the increase of temperature, and also the peak stress of limestone decrease in different extents. In the meantime, the accumulative ring-down counts decrease coupled with the change of mechanical parameter. The brittle fracture is main failure mode of limestone when the temperature is below 800°C and the change of peak strain of limestone is unobvious. The stress-strain curve conforms to the acoustic emission curve which shows that changes of minerals formation and microstructure due to high temperature result in the changes of mechanical and acoustic emission characteristic of limestone.