Surface wave propagation in concrete structures by using piezoelectric actuators/sensors

Concrete structures have been used widely in civil infrastructural systems especially in bridges. Due to the complex nature of its microstructure, nondestructive testing (NDT) of concrete inherently imposes many challenges, which can cause severe limitations to both the resolution and sensitivity of the observed signals. In this study, surface wave propagation in concrete is examined and simulated by using a surface bonded active piezoelectric actuators/sensors system experimentally and numerically, especially at high frequency. First, different experimental tests are conducted to evaluate effects of the loading frequency upon the resulting surface wave propagation. Secondly, the numerical results are compared with experimental data. The very good agreement shows the great feasibility and potential of surface wave signals by using piezoelectric actuators/sensors to locate and characteristics of surface damages.