• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2010.04a
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• pp.783-786
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• 2010

This paper presents a finite element analysis on impedance parameters of anchor plates of structural cables under the change in cable forces. To achieve the objective, four approaches are implemented as follows: Firstly, theoretical background of electro-mechanical impedance is described. Secondly, anchor plates of structural cables are selected to experimentally examine the relationship between impedance parameters and cable force changes. Thirdly, finite element analysis is performed to verify the experimental results. Fourthly, a comparison between the experimental and numerical analysis on impedance parameters of anchor plate of structural cables under cable force changes is carried out.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.73-79
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• 1995

Most of conventional ultrasonic transducers are constructed to generate either longitudinal or shear waves, but not both of them. We investigated the mechanism of dual mode transducers that generates both of the longitudinal and shear waves simultaneously with a single PZT element. A piezoelectric ceramic PZT has the hexagonal 6mm crystal symmetry, after poling. We studied the performance of a PZT element as a function of its rotation angle so that its efficiency is optimized to excite the two waves equally strongly. The results are verified by checking the impedance variation of the element with Finite Element Methods, and checking the wave form by pulse-echo test simulation. Validity of the theoretical calculation is verified through experiments.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2006.05a
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• pp.850-853
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• 2006

This paper presents a primary study for a new method of enhancing measurement using impedance analysis method, which is widely used for structure health monitoring. Many of skyscrapers, bridges, tunnels, which have been built up several years, and nearly reached their operating life due to aging crack, material deterioration, and so on. therefore, the health monitoring technique has obtained considerable attention. The usage of the PZT sensor is proposed, and the coupling torque of bolt-connection overlapping beam is assumed. By using the torque wrench, it is easy to apply torque of different values to each bolt. The coupling torque is adjusted gradually from $3N{\cdot}m\;to\;0N{\cdot}m$ with the decrement of $1N{\cdot}m$. Simultaneously, the impedance peak variation is measured. The peak frequency variation can be determined through the change of bolt coupling torque.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.549-555
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• 2003

The objective of かis study is to investigate the feasibility of piezoelectric transducers as a damage detection system for civil infrastructures. There have been considerable amount of efforts by the modal analysis community to localize damage and evaluate its severity without looking at a reliable way to excite the structure. The detection of damages by modal analysis and similar vibration techniques depends upon the knowledge and estimation of various modal parameters. In addition to the associated difficulties, such low-frequency dynamic response based techniques fail to detect incipient damages. Smart piezoelectric ceramic (PZT) transducers which act as both actuators and sensors in a self-analyzing manner are emerging to be effective in non-parametric health monitoring of structural systems. In this paper, we present the results of an experimental study for the detection of damages using smart PZT transducers on the steel plate. The method of extracting the impedance characteristics of the PZT transducer, which is electro-mechanically coupled to the host structure, is adopted for damage detection. Two damages are simulated and assessed by the bonded PZT transducers for characterization. The experimental results verified the efficacy of the proposed approach and provided a demonstration of good robustness at the realistic steel structures, emphasizing the great potential for developing an automated in situ structural health monitoring system for application to large civil infrastructures without the need to blow the modal parameters.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.15 no.10
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• pp.914-920
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• 2002

This study investigates the mechanism of a dual mode probe that generates both of the longitudinal and shear waves simultaneously with a single FZT element. Most of conventional ultrasonic probes are constructed to generate either longitudinal or shear waves. After poling, PZT has the hexagonal 6mm crystal symmetry. All possible crystal cuts are checked to determine appropriate Euler transformation angles for efficient excitation of dual modes. For the selected cut, performance of the dual mode element is analyzed through numerical simulation and experiments. Results of the analysis determine the optimal crystal cut for simultaneous generation of P and S waves of equal strength.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2006.04a
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• pp.240-247
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• 2006

Piezoelectric sensor-based health monitoring technique using a two-step support vector machine (SYM) classifier is discussed for damage identification of a railroad track. An active sensing system composed of two PZT patches was investigated in conjunction with both impedance and guided wave propagation methods to detect two kinds of damage of the railroad track (one is a hole damage of 0.5cm in diameter at web section and the other is a transverse cut damage of 7.5cm in length and 0.5cm in depth at head section). Two damage-sensitive features were extracted one by one from each method; a) feature I: root mean square deviations (RMSD) of impedance signatures and b) feature II: wavelet coefficients for $A_0$ mode of guided waves. By defining damage indices from those damage-sensitive features, a two-dimensional damage feature (2-D DF) space was made. In order to minimize a false-positive indication of the current active sensing system, a two-step SYM classifier was applied to the 2-D DF space. As a result, optimal separable hyper-planes were successfully established by the two-step SYM classifier: Damage detection was accomplished by the first step-SYM, and damage classification was also carried out by the second step-SYM. Finally, the applicability of the proposed two-step SYM classifier has been verified by thirty test patterns.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.349-364
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• 2013

Recently, researchers in the field of structural health monitoring (SHM) have been rigorously striving to replace the conventional NDE techniques with the smart material based SHM techniques, employing smart materials such as piezoelectric materials. For instance, the electromechanical impedance (EMI) technique employing piezo-impedance (lead zirconate titanate, PZT) transducer is known for its sensitivity in detecting local damage. For practical applications, various external factors such as fluctuations of temperature and loading, affecting the effectiveness of the EMI technique ought to be understood and compensated. This paper aims at investigating the damage monitoring capability of EMI technique in the presence of axial stress with fixed boundary condition. A compensation technique using effective frequency shift (EFS) by cross-correlation analysis was incorporated to compensate the effect of loading and boundary stiffening. Experimental tests were conducted by inducing damages on lab-sized aluminium beams in the presence of tensile and compressive forces. Two types of damages, crack propagation and bolts loosening were simulated. With EFS for compensation, both cross-correlation coefficient (CC) index and reduction in peak frequency were found to be efficient in characterizing damages in the presence of varying axial loading.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.27-33
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• 2012

This paper presents the effect of temperature on the impedance-based damage monitoring of steel-bolt connections using wireless impedance sensor nodes. In order to achieve the objective, the following approaches are implemented. First, a temperature-compensated damage monitoring scheme that includes a temperature compensation model and damage detection method is described. The temperature compensation model is designed by analyzing the linear regressions between the temperatures and impedance signatures. The correlation coefficient of the impedance signatures is selected as the damage index to monitor the damage occurrence in the target structures. Second, a wireless impedance sensor node is described for the design of the hardware components and embedded software. Finally, the performance of the temperature-compensated impedance-based damage monitoring scheme is evaluated for detecting a loose bolt in the steel-bolt connections on a lab-scale steel girder under various temperatures.

• Electrical & Electronic Materials
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.572-579
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• 1995

Most of conventional ultrasonic transducers are constructed to generate either longitudinal or shear waves, but not both of them. We investigate the mechanism of dual mode transducers that generate both of the longitudinal and shear waves simultaneously with single PZT element. The study is aimed to find the optimally desired cut by examining the anisotropic piezoelectric properties. Theory predicts that a mixed P/S mode transducer can be constructed using a rotated Z-cut of PZT piezoelectric ceramics. We study the performance of a PZT element as a function of its rotation angle so that its efficiency is optimized to excite the two waves as much as equally strong. The results are verified by the waveform in pulse-echo computer simulation and experiments. When the transducer is subjected to impedance analysis, it shows two thickness mode resonances, each of which being a mixed P/S thickness mode. By examining wave speeds on E transmitter delay line receiver setup, it is confirmed that the transducer can transmit and detect both longitudinal and shear wave simultaneously.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.42 no.10 s.281
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• pp.685-690
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• 2005

Pb(Zr,Ti)$O_{3}$Pb($Mn_{1/3}$$Nb_{2/3}$)$O_{3}$ powder was successfully synthesised by high-energy milling method, and the behavior of low­temperature sintering and piezoelectrical properties of Pb(Zr,Ti)$O_{3}$-Pb($Mn_{1/3}$$Nb_{2/3}$)$O_{3}$ ceramics were investigated as a function of mechanical alloying time. In order to confirm whether the Perovskite phase in this composition was formed by mechanical activation technique or not, we performed X-Ray Diffraction pattern analysis (XRD). The microstructure for the sintered samples were characterized using a Scanning Electronic Microscope (SEM). And the piezoelectrical properties ($k_{p}$ and $Q_{m}$) of the sintered samples was measured using HP 4194A impedance analyzer.