Seismic health monitoring of RC frame structures using smart aggregates

Structural health monitoring of RC structures under seismic loads has recently attracted much attention in the earthquake engineering research community. In this study, a piezoceramic-based device called “smart aggregate” was used for the health monitoring of RC frame structures under earthquake excitations. Three RC moment frames instrumented with smart aggregates were tested using a shaketable with different ground excitation intensities. Distributed piezoceramic-based smart aggregates were embedded in the RC structures and used to monitor their health condition during the tests. The sensitivity and effectiveness of the proposed piezoceramic-based approach were investigated and evaluated by analyzing the measured responses. The displacement ductility demand of the structural members was calculated and compared with the damage index determined from the health monitoring system. The comparison shows that the damage index is compatible with the calculated ductility demand.