Numerical Simulation for Concrete Structure Health Monitoring Based on Smart Piezoelectric Transducer Array

This paper presents results of numerical simulations for the health monitoring of a concrete shear wall structure based on an impedance method applying the finite element method (FEM). The concrete shear wall model pasted with PZT transducers array was established for the numerical analysis. The PZT patches excited electrically at high frequency were used as transducers for scanning and making data acquisition from signatures at both health and damaged stages of the shear wall. The signatures from the patches located in the vicinity of the damage area were analyzed and discovered to drastically change and those located at relatively far distance from the damage area were less affected. The damages are quantified using an index named root mean square of the deviation in signatures with respect to the baseline signature of the health state. At last, an arrangement principle of the PZT transducers array is conceptually discussed in details.