TL;DR. A published paper in Measurement (Elsevier): a reliability framework for non-bonded, reusable electro-mechanical impedance (EMI) measurements on construction steel rebar, presented as a proof of concept. It is the engineering side of my work.
Elsevierjournal: Measurement
Vol. 274Art. 121021
2026published
3authors
Figure 1 Background: how electro-mechanical impedance (EMI) monitoring works. A piezoelectric patch is both actuator and sensor; its electrical impedance depends on the mechanical impedance of the structure under it, so a change in the structure shows up as a change in the impedance signature. (Schematic of the general technique.) Source: general background
Why “non-bonded and reusable” matters
In classic EMI monitoring a piezoelectric patch is bonded to the structure with adhesive, which gives repeatable coupling but makes the sensor a permanent, single-use part. A non-bonded, reusable configuration trades that permanence for flexibility: one set of sensors can inspect many members. The catch is repeatability. Coupling can change every time the sensor is put back, and a measurement method is only useful if it can tell a changed structure from a re-seated sensor.
Figure 2 The practical question behind the title: a sensor that is not permanently bonded can be reused, but only if repeated placements give comparable measurements. A reliability framework is how that is made quantitative. (Schematic.) Source: schematic of the idea named in the title
That is the gap a reliability framework addresses, and why the paper calls itself a proof of concept: it sets out how to establish whether non-bonded EMI measurements on rebar are trustworthy enough to be used, before building monitoring practice on top of them.
