Impact-monitoring characteristics of piezoelectric smart cement for structural reliability

Piezoelectric sensors are useful for structural health monitoring (SHM) applications as they can sense mechanical deformations caused by impact or pressure without external power sources. However, commercial piezoelectric sensors are not suitable for large structures, such as concrete buildings, owing to their low cost-effectiveness and poor bonding compatibility with concrete. Therefore, in this study, piezoelectric cement composites were developed using piezoelectric nano powder with a cement matrix. The impact sensitivity values of the composites with varying piezoelectric nano powder content (1, 5, and 10 wt%) were measured, and the maximum impact sensitivity obtained was 3.9 μV/N at 10 wt%. It was revealed that optimizing the filler concentration for high sensitivity and accuracy is required for impact-monitoring applications.