Application of cement-based piezoelectric sensing system to concrete structure

In this paper a cement-based piezoelectric sensing system,including a sensing element,a small scale home made amplifier,and a home made(analog-digital) conditioner,is developed.The sensing system has some advantages,such as compatibility with concrete,good durability and low cost.The dynamic responses of a prism and a two story model frame structure are measured by using the developed sensing system for checking its performance.From the test results,it is found that the frequency independency and linearity of the cement-based piezoelectric sensor don't change after embedded into concrete and the developed sensing system can measure the stresses of the frame under the loading induced by shaking table with both harmonic and earthquake ground motions.Thus,it is valid and reliable for the cement-based piezoelectric sensing system to monitor the performance of concrete structure.