Abstract
Manufactured sand (MS) is considered a reliable alternative to natural sand (NS) in concrete due to its wide availability and cost-effectiveness. In this study, the influences of water-cement ratio (0.41, 0.44, 0.47), replacement rate of MS (20 %, 60 %, 100 %) and stone powder content (0 %, 5 %, 10 %) on the mechanical and fracture characteristics of manufactured sand concrete (MSC) were investigated. Statistical model of mechanical properties (compressive strength, flexural strength and flexural toughness) of MSC was constructed based on response surface methodology (RSM). Acoustic emission (AE) technology was used to monitor the MSC fracture process in real time. The correlation between the cumulative AE parameters and the strength of MSC was analyzed. The results showed that the compressive strength, flexural strength and flexural toughness of MSC were negatively correlated with water-cement ratio while positively correlated with the replacement rate of MS. The optimum stone powder content can be determined for MSC to reach its maximum compressive strength. The coupling effects of water-cement ratio and replacement rate of MS was the most significant. This was followed by the coupling effect of water-cement ratio and stone powder content. The coupling effect of stone powder content and replacement rate of MS was the weakest. Moreover, AE analysis on the fracture process of MSC indicated that the AE parameters were more active when the water-cement ratio increased. As the replacement rate of MS increased, the AE parameters were smoother and the specimens were less damaged. The stone powder content played greater role in affecting the AE parameters in compression, while the effect of stone powder content on the four-point bending test was not significant. The cumulative AE parameters were linearly related to the strength of MSC. The cumulative AE parameters can reflect the strength of MSC.
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