In-Situ Structural Health Monitoring of a Reinforced Concrete Frame Embedded with Cement-Based Piezoelectric Smart Composites

The application of a novel cement-based piezoelectric (PZT) ceramic sensor to the in-situ stress-time history monitoring of a reinforced concrete frame structure is described in this article. Smart frame composite structures were produced and characterized by a range of experimental methods. ADINA, a finite element analysis program, was used to analyze the mechanical response of the concrete frame under static loading. The results show that the mechanical-electrical response of sensors embedded in a reinforced concrete frame structure follows a linear relationship under various loading conditions. The sensors are able to record the stress history of the frame under static loads. Moreover, the measured stress maxima agree well with the simulated results, and the smart structure is found to be capable of reliably monitoring the response of a frame structure during stress testing for different loading modes to real concrete structures. The study indicates that such cement-based PZT composites have a high feasibility and applicability to the in-situ stress-time history monitoring of reinforced concrete structures.