Load monitoring of pin-connected structures using piezoelectric impedance measurement

This paper presents a feasibility study on a developed impedance-based technique using Lead Zirconate Titanate patches for load monitoring of pin-connected structures, which are widely used in construction industry. The basic principle behind the load-monitoring technique is to utilize a high-frequency excitation signal (typically > 30 kHz) through a surface-bonded piezoelectric sensor/actuator to detect changes in mechanical impedance of the structure due to the variations in structural loads. In order to verify the effectiveness of the developed technique, a tension-controllable structure with a pin connection was fabricated and investigated in this study. A load monitoring index was used to correlate the dominating peak frequency of the real part of the electrical impedance signature to the pin connection load. Experimental results obtained from twenty repeated tests prove that the proposed load-monitoring index increases as the load on the pin connection increases due to the enlarging true contact area of the pin connection. A 3D finite element method was also used to simulate and analyze the impedance signature of a pin connection model. Very good agreement exists between the numerical simulation's results and the experimental results which demonstrates that the impedance-based technique can successfully be used to monitor the loading status of pin connections in practical applications.