Cement-Based Piezoelectric Sensor for Acoustic Emission Detection in Concrete Structures

In this study, brand new cement-based piezoelectric composite sensors have been developed for acoustic emission detection in a civil engineering structure. The new developed sensors have good compatibility with concrete, the most widely used construction material. Especially, the tuned acoustic impedance of the composite sensor is very close to that of concrete. Following different fabrication procedures, two kinds of sensors, sensor with 0–3 connectivity pattern or 1–3 connectivity pattern have been fabricated and characterized. The piezoelectric properties and sensitivity are investigated and analyzed using a Physical Acoustic Corporation data acquisition system. The properties are compared to that of the Physical Acoustic Corporation transducer (PAC). It is found that the cement-based piezoelectric sensor perform much better when embedded into the concrete structure. The sensor ability in detecting AE signals generated by formation of micro-cracks or dislocation in the concrete beams is improved dramatically. There is a great potential to use such type of sensor for health monitoring of civil structures.