Acoustic emission (AE) has been used to investigate characteristics of the fracture process zone (length, width and macro crack propagation) in a concrete specimen subjected to four-point bending, using probability and statistical methods. To understand the process' of crack growth and fracture, a technique based on AE has been developed. The results are treated according to the laws of probability and statistics. It is shown that these results agree more or less in comparison to those obtained using other techniques.
Hadjab, H. S., Thimus, J.-F., & Chabaat, M. (2007). The use of acoustic emission to investigate fracture process zone in notched concrete beams. Current Science, 93(5), 648-653. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/134501 (Original work published 2007)