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The applicability of the acoustic emission (AE) technique to detect unstable damage accumulation in masonry, subjected to the creep failure mode, is investigated during short-term and long-term creep tests on masonry specimens. The damage accumulation is quantified using the results of the monitored AE event rates, which evolve as a bathtub shaped curve during the last phase of the creep tests. The bathtub curves are described using the Weibull function and a relation is found between the detected AE event rate and the time to failure of the specimens.

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An extensive experimental program has been set up to characterize the time-dependent deformation behavior of masonry, subjected to the creep failure mode. Different types of short-term creep tests were performed on small masonry specimens, which were constructed with air-hardening lime mortar. To assess the influence of the carbonation process on creep behavior, several specimens were subjected to accelerated carbonation. The time-dependent deformations are modeled using a viscoelastic, rheological model which includes damage effects. The applicability of the model is validated by comparing theoretical and experimental results and extending the time frame to long-term predictions. Good agreement was found between experimental and simulated time-dependent deformations. The accuracy of the proposed model is estimated by including the scatter on the most important material parameters in the analysis.The time-dependent deformation of masonry constructions is an important aspect of the material behavior