A novel hybrid approach for monitoring temperature‐induced damage in cementitious materials through the coupled electro‐mechanical response of <scp>PZT</scp> sensors

Abstract The occurrence of temperature‐induced damages in cementitious materials was examined through numerically and experimentally obtained electro‐mechanical admittance (EMA) responses of distinctly configured lead–zirconate–titante (PZT) sensors. A cyclic temperature testing, followed by cooling, was incorporated to track the damage progression. A preliminary thermal characterization of the free PZT in two different configurations was performed. Experimental responses were used to calibrate numerical responses by optimizing PZT parameters; later, the study was extended to PZT‐structure response. In order to comprehend the deterioration in the substrate under temperature loading, a hybrid computer‐aided approach was incorporated. EMA responses were analyzed using peak frequency shift, conductance amplitude, change in conductance bandwidth, and RMSD. The proposed approach effectively isolates and distinguishes the influence of temperature‐dependent PZT properties from the coupled EMA response, enabling a more accurate interpretation of damage‐induced changes when measurements are conducted in elevated temperature environments.