Abstract
Concrete columns are critical in supporting the weight of an entire structural frame and also play a key role in force transferring among structural members. Therefore, integrity of the columns, especially their axial load bearing capacity, directly affects the stability and safety of the entire structure. In this study, a wearable smart hoop is designed to monitor the axial load of the concrete columns. The smart hoop measures the shift in impedance frequency of its integrated piezoelectric transducer and correlates the frequency to the structural state of the column. In order to validate the feasibility of the smart hoop, an experiment on two concrete columns with different dimensions is carried out. The smart hoop is installed on each column. Then, an increasing axial load was applied onto the specimen, and the admittance of the PZT patch is acquired under different load levels by using an impedance analyzer. Finally, frequencies corresponding to the peak and trough in the susceptance of the admittance signal are collected as the monitoring index to estimate the axial load variation on the specimen. The experimental results demonstrated a downward shift in frequency corresponding to an increase of axial load. The results validate the feasibility of the wearable smart hoop in monitoring axial load for concrete columns and show potential for retrofit on existing columns.
Highlights
Concrete columns are important load transferring components and play a key role in the structural integrity of most concrete buildings. e structural health of the columns directly influences the stability and safety of the entire structural system
Ferrotto et al conducted a series of experimental investigation and theoretical analysis to study the compressive behavior of RC columns strengthened by steel or fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) jackets when subjected to the axial preload [1,2,3,4]
A feasibility study on the wearable smart hoop for the monitoring the axial load variation of concrete columns is conducted. e principle used by the smart hoop is to measure the shift of the impedance frequency of the piezoelectric transducer installed on the smart hoop. e results from both the simplified tension test of a steel plate and the axial compression test of two cylindrical concrete columns are in good agreement
Summary
Concrete columns are important load transferring components and play a key role in the structural integrity of most concrete buildings. e structural health of the columns directly influences the stability and safety of the entire structural system. Knowledge of a column’s axial load bearing capacity can help determine the integrity of the structural system and has been the subject of attention for many researchers. In order to overcome the limitations on conventional manual inspection, which is time-consuming and costly, research efforts have focused on monitoring techniques that aim to extract the most information with the least amount of skilled human intervention. Such techniques include the measurement of acoustic emission (AE), which involves the recording of elastic waves generated by the release of localized internal energy from within the host structure.
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