Study on the 1–3 orthotropic polymer/cement based piezoelectric composite

The 1–3 orthotropic polymer/cement based piezoelectric composite(OPCM) fabricated using PZT-51 as functional part and epoxy resin/cement as matrix via twice cutting-filling methods was to be used as acoustic emission (AE) sensors. The acoustic emission signals were collected by pencil lead-break as signal source on the concrete surface and the linear location test of signal source was carried by AE technique. The results showed that the values of signal amplitude and voltage both varied from distance and angle, it reached the maximum along the direction of 0° and 180°, which exhibited the OPCM an excellent orthotropic property. The attenuation curve showed a trend that signals of amplitude and voltage decreased sharply in near field region and reduced steadily in far field area. The OPCM used as sensors could receive each signal in the process of liner location, and the positioning accuracy could reach above 95%, which provide a basic for the OPCM to carry out health monitoring of civil engineering with AE technique.