Vol. 22 No. 4 (2025): Journal of Non-Destructive Testing & Evaluation (JNDE), December 2025
Research Papers

Smart Piezoelectric Sensors to monitor Concrete Strength for Enhanced Infrastructure Maintenance

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  • Trushna Jena,
  • T. Jothi Saravanan,
  • Tushar Bansal

Published 10-12-2025

Keywords

  • PZT sensor,
  • Electromechanical impedance,
  • Numerical simulation,
  • COMSOLTM 5.5,
  • Structural health monitoring,
  • Equivalent structural parameter
    • ...More
    Less

How to Cite

Trushna Jena, T. Jothi Saravanan, & Tushar Bansal. (2025). Smart Piezoelectric Sensors to monitor Concrete Strength for Enhanced Infrastructure Maintenance. Journal of Non-Destructive Testing & Evaluation (JNDE), 22(4), 47–62. Retrieved from https://jnde.isnt.in/index.php/JNDE/article/view/128

Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Non Destructive Testing and Evaluation (JNDE)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Abstract

The electromechanical impedance (EMI) technique has emerged as a powerful tool for structural health monitoring (SHM), yet the effectiveness of different piezoelectric sensor configurations in reinforced concrete remains inadequately understood. This study presents a combined experimental–numerical investigation of three sensor setups: surface-bonded (SBPS), embedded (EPS), and non-bonded (NBPS). Conductance–frequency analysis revealed that EPS exhibited the highest sensitivity, with resonance peaks shifting to 220–240 kHz as concrete stiffness increased, highlighting its suitability for long-term durability assessment. SBPS showed the closest agreement between experimental and numerical EMI responses (RMSD = 4.59%), making it the most reliable configuration. NBPS had a higher RMSD (16.5%) but allows
sensor reuse and non-invasive deployment. EPS (RMSD = 8.1%) highlights the challenges of modeling multi-layer PZT–epoxy–mortar interactions and interfacial effects. Complementing conventional EMI metrics, equivalent structural parameter (ESP) analysis using real and imaginary impedance components within Hixon’s spring–mass–damper framework provided quantitative insight into mechanical evolution
during concrete hydration. EPS and SBPS effectively captured stiffness gain and damping reduction, whereas NBPS exhibited more stable yet limited variation. Numerical simulations were performed using COMSOL Multiphysics, enabling detailed modeling of the electromechanical interactions and structural responses across different sensor configurations. By systematically benchmarking sensitivity, reliability, and modeling complexity across configurations, this work delivers critical insights for optimizing EMI-based SHM frameworks. Overall, EPS maximizes sensitivity, SBPS ensures superior numerical experimental fidelity, and NBPS provides a pragmatic compromise, collectively establishing a robust
framework for optimizing EMI-based structural health monitoring in reinforced concrete.

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