Acoustic emission during swelling and contraction tests

An expansive clayey rock belonging to the Asturias Carboniferous of NW Spain has been petrophysically characterized before, during and after swelling tests. The evolution of the microfissuring and the induced deterioration have been studied by acoustic emission during tests and by ultrasonic techniques before and after swelling/contraction cycles. A good correlation has been found between the AE curves and swelling strain. Damage due to the generation and growth of microfissures is most important during the first moments of each swelling/contraction cycle. Microfissures mainly develop in the direction of the foliation planes, as can be shown by linear crack density and measurements of the propagation velocity of longitudinal waves.