Electro-Mechanical Impedance (EMI) Based Interlayer Slide Detection Using Piezoceramic Smart Aggregates—A Feasibility Study

Interlayer slide damage is one of the main causes of landslide hazard, inflicting huge economic losses and casualties. It is urgent to accurately detect the initiation and development of the interlayer slide damage in real time. In this paper, a study on the feasibility of using the electro-mechanical impedance (EMI) technique to detect the interlayer slide damage was presented. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the application of the EMI technique for interlayer slide detection using piezoceramic smart aggregates (SAs). In the experimental study, three small landslide specimens with a weak interlayer in the middle were fabricated. For each specimen, three piezoceramic SAs were post-embedded at specific positions, which were located above the weak interlayer inside the structure. The specimens were subjected to a compressive test to initiate an interlayer slide along the weak layer. The whole loading process was monitored with a precision impedance analyzer by measuring the admittance (reciprocal of impedance) of the SAs over time. The statistic metrics, including root mean square deviation (RMSD) and mean absolute percentage deviation (MAPD), were introduced to quantify the variations in admittance signatures due to interlayer slide damage. It was found that the admittance signatures and statistic metrics were sensitive to the interlayer slide damage. The experimental results verify the feasibility and practicality of using EMI technique to detect the interlayer slide.