Inspection of reinforced concrete interface delamination using embedded piezoelectric actuators/sensors

![CDATA[The interface between concrete and steel in reinforced concrete governs the interaction between the two types of materials under loading. When the interface is seriously damaged, such that a macro-crack is formed, de-bonding takes place or large slip occurs, and the load-transferring capacity of the interface will drop dramatically. The study is to present a novel technique to detect the delamination at the interface between the reinforcing steel bar and concrete using guided waves. The piezoelectric components are mounted on reinforcing bars that embedded in RC structures as sensors and actuators to generate the signal, which is sensitive to the delamination between the steel bars and concrete. The experimental study is carried out on a concrete slab with different debonds between the rebars and concrete. Two parameters are calculated from the measured responses and used to indicate the debonding damage. The test results show that the delamination between the rebars and concrete can be detected with the embedded piezoelectric sensors and actuators.]]