Easy installation method of piezoceramic (PZT) transducers for health monitoring of structures using electro-mechanical impedance technique

摘要

Impedance-based structural health monitoring (SHM) technique has been developed using piezo-ceramic (PZT) transducers either by surface bonding or embedding inside the structure to detect damage at the earliest possible stage using signatures. However, this technique requires PZT to be permanently attached to the structures. Furthermore permanent attachment will influence the appearance of the host structure and during replacement of faulty transducer, the use of de bonding tools may spoils the surface and beneath. Hence the present study is aimed to fabricate a portable structure, where PZTs are bonded on it and later the portable structure is attached to the host structure. This portable structure is easy to install during monitoring period and uninstall after recording the monitoring signatures of the host structure. This method protects the surface of the host structure to be monitored and will have same efficiency as that of permanently attached PZTs.