• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.435-446
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• 2019

The existing piezoelectric spherical transducers with fixed prescribed dynamic characteristics limit their application in scenarios with multi-frequency or frequency variation requirement. To address this issue, this work proposes an improved design of piezoelectric spherical transducers using the resistance tuning method. Two piezoceramic shells are the functional elements with one for actuation and the other for tuning through the variation of load resistance. The theoretical model of the proposed design is given based on our previous work. The effects of the resistance, the middle surface radius and the thickness of the epoxy adhesive layer on the dynamic characteristics of the transducer are explored by numerical analysis. The numerical results show that the multi-frequency characteristics of the transducer can be obtained by tuning the resistance, and its electromechanical coupling coefficient can be optimized by a matching resistance. The proposed design and derived theoretical solution are validated by comparing with the literature given special examples as well as an experimental study. The present study demonstrates the feasibility of using the proposed design to realize the multi-frequency characteristics, which is helpful to improve the performance of piezoelectric spherical transducers used in underwater acoustic detection, hydrophones, and the spherical smart aggregate (SSA) used in civil structural health monitoring, enhancing their operation at the multiple working frequencies to meet different application requirements.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.76 no.5
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• pp.591-598
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• 2020

Ultrasonic waves provide a non-destructive and sensitive way to monitor the concrete hydration. However, limited works are reported to monitor the evolution of the mechanical parameter at early ages. In this study, modified piezoelectric aggregates are embedded inside a concrete beam to excite and receive primary waves. A hydration index, namely, the variation of ultrasonic waveform (VUW) is developed to characterize the variation of the transmitted waves during the hydration process. The recorded hydration indices are compared with the compressive strength measured by destructive test at different ages. The results show that the VUW is closer to the compressive strength than the other two traditional hydration indices, ultrasonic velocity and wave packet energy. The proposed VUW provides a simple and accurate way to monitor the concrete hydration at early ages.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.311-319
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• 2018

This study used a volumetric method for design. The control group used waste Liquid Crystal Displayplay (LCD) glass powder to replace cement (0%, 10%, 20%, 30%), and the PZT group used Pd-Zr-Ti piezoelectric (PZT) powder to replace 5% of the fine aggregate to make cement mortar. The engineering and the mechanical and electricity properties were tested; flow, compressive strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), water absorption and resistivity (SSD and OD electricity at 50 V and 100 V) were determined; and the correlations were determined by linear regression. The compressive strength of the control group (29.5-31.8 MPa) was higher than that of the PZT group (25.1-29 MPa) by 2.8-4.4 MPa at the curing age of 28 days. A 20% waste LCD glass powder replacement (31.8 MPa) can fill up finer pores and accelerate hydration. The control group had a higher 50 V-SSD resistivity ($1870-3244{\Omega}.cm$), and the PZT group had a lower resistivity ($1419-3013{\Omega}.cm$), meaning that the resistivity increases with the replacement of waste LCD glass powder. This is because the waste LCD glass powder contains 62% $SiO_2$, which is a low dielectric material that is an insulator. Therefore, the resistivity increases with the $SiO_2$ content.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.313-323
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• 2018

The presence of water inside concrete structures is an essential condition for the deterioration of the structures. The free water in the concrete pores and micro-cracks is the culprit for the durability related problems, such as alkali-aggregate reaction, carbonation, freeze-thaw damage, and corrosion of steel reinforcement. To ensure the integrity and safe operation of the concrete structures, it is very important to monitor water seepage inside the concrete. This paper presents the experimental investigation of water seepage monitoring in a concrete slab using piezoelectric-based smart aggregates. In the experimental setup, an $800mm{\times}800mm{\times}100mm$ concrete slab was fabricated with 15 SAs distributed inside the slab. The water seepage process was monitored through interrogating the SA pairs. In each SA pair, one SA was used as actuator to emit harmonic sine wave, and the other was used as sensor to receive the transmitted stress wave. The amplitudes of the received signals were able to indicate the water seepage process inside the concrete slab.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.135-150
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• 2015

Large concrete structures are prone to cracks and damages over time from human usage, weathers, and other environmental attacks such as flood, earthquakes, and hurricanes. The health of the concrete structures should be monitored regularly to ensure safety. A reliable method of real time communications can facilitate more frequent structural health monitoring (SHM) updates from hard to reach positions, enabling crack detections of embedded concrete structures as they occur to avoid catastrophic failures. By implementing an unconventional mode of communication that utilizes guided stress waves traveling along the concrete structure itself, we may be able to free structural health monitoring from costly (re-)installation of communication wires. In stress-wave communications, piezoelectric transducers can act as actuators and sensors to send and receive modulated signals carrying concrete status information. The new generation of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) based smart aggregates cause multipath propagation in the homogeneous concrete channel, which presents both an opportunity and a challenge for multiple sensors communication. We propose a time reversal based pulse position modulation (TR-PPM) communication for stress wave communication within the concrete structure to combat multipath channel dispersion. Experimental results demonstrate successful transmission and recovery of TR-PPM using stress waves. Compared with PPM, we can achieve higher data rate and longer link distance via TR-PPM. Furthermore, TR-PPM remains effective under low signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio. This work also lays the foundation for implementing multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) stress wave communication networks in concrete channels.