Abstract
The changes in the acoustic emission signals of sandstone after treatment at different high temperatures are examined in this study. The results show that there is a critical point on the cumulative energy curve of the acoustic emission signals (almost between 60 and 90% of the ratio of the loading time and the total loading time), which can be used to identify the failure of sandstone that has been damaged by exposure to a temperature of 900°C. As the temperature increases, the position of the critical point gradually changes, which indicates that high temperatures increase the plasticity of rock, and this gradually reduces the brittleness. The changes in b-value of acoustic emission shows that the transition behavior of rock from brittleness to plasticity is more obvious at temperatures higher than 600°C, and the large-scale micro cracking takes place at that temperature range, which is the main reason for the weakening and brittleness and the strengthening of plasticity of the sandstone.