Damage Detection in ALC Exterior Walls in Steel Structural Frames Subjected to Earthquakes Using Acceleration Sensors

To establish a practical method to detect damage to autoclaved lightweight concrete (ALC) exterior walls subjected to earthquakes, a cyclic loading test of steel structural frames equipped with ALC exterior walls was performed. In the test, several compact and cost-effective MEMS accelerometers were placed on the ALC panels and steel structural frames to evaluate their effectiveness in damage assessment. The results showed that the MEMS acceleration sensors could measure the residual in-plane and out-of-plane rotation angle of each element including ALC panels with sufficient accuracy and was concluded to be the most promising instrument for application to damage detection.