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• EMR from cement-mortar/lead zirconate titanate composites using drop-weight impact. • EMR due to accelerated movement of charged particles and oscillation of dipoles in PZT. • EMR parameters increase with PZT content in the composite and the height of impact. • EMR technique as a better option for non contact monitoring of civil structures. Investigation on the electromagnetic radiation (EMR) emission from cement-mortar/lead zirconate titanate (cement-mortar/PZT) composites using a drop-weight impact technique has been undertaken to explore its possible applications in civil structures as a sensor. Unpoled soft grade PZT (SP-5A) powder, having a particle size of 1 µm is used for preparing the cement-mortar/PZT composite samples onto which the experiments were conducted in unpoled state. The EMR generation from cement-mortar/PZT composites is due to the accelerated movement of the charged particles in the pores of hydrated cement and due to oscillations of dipoles in the PZT. The values of EMR voltage, the average release rate of EMR energy, and dominant frequency are observed to increase with the rise of the PZT content and the height of impact. The deformation/strain in the composite could be sensed by measuring the EMR voltage. Also, the addition of PZT in mortar results in an increase in the compressive strength and bulk density and a decrease in the porosity of the composite. The effect of the separation of the antenna and the composite samples on the EMR voltage has also been studied. The results obtained, foreshadow the prospect of the present non-destructive technique, a better option for structural health monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]