Abstract Understanding the correlation between acoustic emission (AE) parameters and mechanical properties of fractured sandstone is essential for accurately predicting the strength and stability of engineering rock mass. This study conducted uniaxial compression test and AE monitoring on fractured sandstone to investigate the dynamic damage evolution and AE characteristics of the specimen. The results revealed a strong correlation between the four stages of AE counting and the corresponding stages of specimen deformation and failure. Furthermore, the b-value curve of AE demonstrated an initial increase followed by a rapid decrease, with the inflection point aligning closely with the damage stress threshold of the sample. This indicates that the AE count and b-value can reflect the evolution of internal cracks and the process of cumulative damage in the rock. Subsequently, a functional relationship between AE counts and strain was determined. Finally, a coupled damage constitutive model, incorporating both macroscopic cracks and microscopic defects, was developed and subsequently validated against experimental data to confirm its accuracy and applicability.
Li et al. (Thu,) studied this question.