The Application Of Moment Tensor Inversion Methods To Fracture Monitoring Of Civil Engineering Materials

A moment tensor inversion (MTI) code written to compute source mechanisms from mining-induced seismicity data is now being used in the laboratory in a civil engineering research environment. Quantitative seismology methods designed for geological environments are being tested with the aim of developing techniques to assess and monitor fracture processes in concrete structures such as bridges. In this paper, the aspects of the MTI code that make it applicable to performing inversions on acoustic emission data recorded by networks of uniaxial sensors are highlighted, and the results of some laboratory experiments where the MTI code has been applied to both rock and concrete are summarised. It is also demonstrated how the MTI code is being used to verify numerical models so that the predicted behaviour corresponds to actual fracture processes.