Abstract
Lead zirconium titanate (PZT) has recently emerged as a low-cost material for non-destructive monitoring for civil structures. Despite the numerous studies employing PZT transducers for structural health monitoring, no studies have assessed the effects of both damage and repair on the electromechanical impedance response in cementitious materials. To this end, this study was conducted to assess the effects of the damage and repair of mortar samples on the electromechanical response of a surface-mounted PZT transducer. When damage was introduced to the specimen in stages, the resonance frequencies of the admittance signature were shifted to lower frequencies as the damage increased, and an increase in the peak amplitude was detected, indicating an increase in the damping and a reduction in the material stiffness properties. Also, increasing the damage in the material has been shown to decrease the sensitivity of the PZT to further damage. During the repair process, a noticeable difference between the after-damage and the after-repair admittance signatures was noted. The root-mean-square deviation (RMSD) showed a decreasing trend during the repair process, when compared to the before repair RMSD response which indicated a partial recovery for the material properties by decreasing the damping property in the material.
Highlights
Due to the increase in urbanization, and the number of strategic structures such as nuclear power stations, bridges, dams, and high-rise buildings, structural health monitoring (SHM) has become an important task which should be performed on a regular basis to maintain the functionality and safety during the service life-span of these structures
Despite the invaluable benefits that are obtained from deploying an efficient SHM system, SHM for massive structures represents a challenge, as traditionally, visual inspections are normally conducted only on critical structure parts where the damage is already expected to take place
It was shown that damage could be detected 200 mm away from the particularly lead zirconium titanate (PZT) transducer mass of the material; no appreciable recovery in the material stiffness was expected to take depending on the damage intensity with greater sensitivities within 100 mm of the PZT transducer
Summary
Due to the increase in urbanization, and the number of strategic structures such as nuclear power stations, bridges, dams, and high-rise buildings, structural health monitoring (SHM) has become an important task which should be performed on a regular basis to maintain the functionality and safety during the service life-span of these structures. Piezo ceramics, lead zirconium titanate (PZT), have been investigated as sensing materials for detecting damage in civil engineering structures Their simplicity, low weight, economic cost, and robustness provide an ideal combination of properties for use in Materials 2019, 12, 3925; doi:10.3390/ma12233925 www.mdpi.com/journal/materials. PZTactuator actuatorand andthe thehost host structure in the method, Themechanical mechanical interaction interaction between structure in the method, was was modeled by Liang and Sun [5]. The model that they proposed assumed that the host modeled by Liang and Sun [5]. Host system thissystem modelin was assumed to be assumed tothe be lead driven by the lead zirconium actuator, as shown driven by zirconium titanate (PZT) titanate actuator,(PZT)
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