Development and Characterisation of Lead-Free Smart Cement Composites for Structural Health Monitoring System

Abstract

The objective of this work is to develop and analyse lead free piezoelectric cement-based material for civil engineering structural energy harvesting. Piezoelectric powders were incorporated into a cement-based mixture to achieve the sensing and actuation capability. Lead free barium titanate (BT) were synthesised using solid state method by hand grinding. The samples were calcined at different temperatures (1100, 1200 and 1250oC) to achieve the tetragonal phase of barium titanate. X-ray Diffraction phase analysis confirmed the tetragonal structure of barium titanate. Barium titanate powder calcined at1250 oC were selected for making piezo-cement composite. Graphene (G) and graphene oxide (GO)were incorporated in cement to enhance the conductivity and durability of the composites, respectively. The presence of graphene and graphene oxide was confirmed using FTIR. The confirmed grapheme and graphene oxide was further incorporated in cement matrix. The piezo-cement composites of BT concentration 40, 50 and 60% were prepared. The prepared composites of G/GO/BT/OPC were chemically, structurally, and electrically characterised. XRD confirmed the intensity of BT increased with increase in concentration in cement matrix. The FTIR showed peak shifts for O-H, C-C, C-O bonds which indicated the stretching of bonds after addition of BT. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the hydration products in cement. Electrical characterisation indicated the increase of impedance with increase in BT concentration in the cement matrix. The developed composite can be converted to transducer that can be placed in the cement cube for active sensing. Further if the superior mechanical properties are achieved it can act as a partial replacement in developed columns and beams that can convert normal structural component to smart structural components.

Date of Award	1 Aug 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	Sunday Oyadiji (Supervisor) & Zyad Haji (Supervisor)