The acoustic emission characteristics of deformation evolution during rock frictional sliding is studied in the present work. Digital speckle correlation method and acoustic emission system were adopted to measure deformation and AE information in the experiment process. The corresponding relationship between the interface frictional sliding rate and the acoustic emission ringing count

the interface frictional sliding displacement and the acoustic emission cumulative energy

the specimen deformation energy density and the AE b-value were studied. The results show that: the evolution of acoustic emission ringing count was influenced by frictional sliding rate of rock interface. There was a close correlation between the sudden change of acoustic emission ringing count and surge of rock interface frictional sliding rate. The acoustic emission cumulative energy was related to the frictional sliding displacement of rock interface. The change trend of frictional sliding displacement of rock interface could be qualitatively identified by the evolution characteristics of the acoustic emission cumulative energy. Based on the evolution characteristics of AE b-values

the interface frictional sliding was dominated by small-scale microcracks of random distribution during the period of slowly increasing shear stress

while the interface frictional sliding was dominated by large-scale microcracks of locking area during the period of shear stress linear growth stage late. The failure of rocks frictional sliding might be caused by small-scale microcracks

and might be also caused by large-scale microcracks of locking area during the fluctuation process of shear stress.