This paper presents the results of research aimed at identifying the degree of degradation of fibre-cement boards exposed to fire. The fibre-cement board samples were initially exposed to fire at various durations in the range of 1⁻15 min. The samples were then subjected to three-point bending and were investigated using the acoustic emission method. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) were employed to analyse the results yielded by the acoustic emission method. Fire was found to have a degrading effect on the fibres contained in the boards. As the length of exposure to fire increased, the fibres underwent gradual degradation, which was reflected in a decrease in the number of acoustic emission (AE) events recognised by the artificial neural networks as accompanying the breaking of the fibres during the three-point bending of the sample. It was shown that it is not sufficient to determine the degree of degradation of fibre-cement boards solely on the basis of bending strength (MOR).
Keywords: acoustic emission; degree of degradation; fibre-cement boards; non-destructive testing.