Built-in Sensor Network for Structural Health Monitoring of Composite Structure

Abstract

By implementing a built-in sensor network on a composite structure, crucial information regarding the condition, damage state, and service environment of the structure can be obtained. In this study, methods for integrating piezoelectric sensor networks into a composite structure during different fabrication processes, including the resin transfer molding (RTM) and filament winding processes, are examined. To integrate sensor networks with different contours of structures, the method to fabricate a three-dimensional (3-D) diagnostic layer is developed. It is demonstrated that a large number of sensors supported on a thin flexible dielectric film, called a SMART Layer, offers a simple and efficient way to integrate a large sensor network onto a complex 3-D structure. The sensor network permanently embedded inside the composite structures can be used with either active sensing or passive sensing to monitor the health condition of a structure throughout its lifetime.

Structural health monitoring: Closing the gap between research and industrial deployment

“…69,70 This is connected to instrumentation that can transmit the data either wirelessly or via wired connections to an analysis centre where bespoke software assesses whether any damage is present and its severity. It was originally developed for aerospace applications but multiple potential applications have been proposed.…”

Use of piezoelectric as acoustic emission sensor for in situ monitoring of composite structures

“…The transducer could therefore function even after the occurrence of the damage. Qing et al [21] developed the technique to embed a sensor network inside composite structures using a different fabrication process. Mechanical tests on composite coupon specimens with and without embedded SMART Layers show that the presence of the SMART layer neither noticeably affects the strength of the host composite structure, nor promotes delamination, but rather defers it.…”

Multi-scale damage state estimation in composites using nonlocal elastic kernel: An experimental validation

“…Such initiation of damage results in accumulated micro voids, matrix cracking, eventually delamination and component disbond etc. Continuous evaluation of the damage sites using embedded and in situ damage diagnosis systems are the inevitable solution towards monitoring the health (Qing et al, 2007) of the structure. However, there are many challenges that are associated with detecting the incubation of damage before the damage manifests at the macro scale.…”