Concrete-filled square steel tube column (CFSSTC) joints are the most important parts of concrete-filled steel tube frame structures. It is of great significance to study the damage of CFSSTC joints under the seismic loads. In this paper, embedded piezoceramic transducers are used to monitor the damage of core concrete of CFSSTC joints under cyclic loading and surface-bonded piezoceramic disks are used to monitor the debonding damage of the steel tube and core concrete of two specimens. The damages of the joints under different loading levels and different loading cycles are evaluated by the received signal of the piezoceramic transducers. The experimental results show that the amplitude of the signal attenuates obviously with the appearance of damage in the joints, and the degree of attenuation increases with the development of the damage. The monitoring results from piezoceramic transducers are basically consistent with the hysteresis loops and skeleton curves of the CFSSTC joints during the cyclic loading. The effectiveness of the piezoceramic transducers are verified by the experimental results in structural health monitoring of the CFSSTC joint under cyclic loading.
Keywords: concrete-filled square steel tube column (CFSSTC) joints; cyclic loading; piezoceramic transducers; smart aggregates.