Quantitative Damage Detection and Sparse Sensor Array Optimization of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Resin Composite Laminates for Wind Turbine Blade Structural Health Monitoring

Abstract

The active structural health monitoring (SHM) approach for the complex composite laminate structures of wind turbine blades (WTBs), addresses the important and complicated problem of signal noise. After illustrating the wind energy industry's development perspectives and its crucial requirement for SHM, an improved redundant second generation wavelet transform (IRSGWT) pre-processing algorithm based on neighboring coefficients is introduced for feeble signal denoising. The method can avoid the drawbacks of conventional wavelet methods that lose information in transforms and the shortcomings of redundant second generation wavelet (RSGWT) denoising that can lead to error propagation. For large scale WTB composites, how to minimize the number of sensors while ensuring accuracy is also a key issue. A sparse sensor array optimization of composites for WTB applications is proposed that can reduce the number of transducers that must be used. Compared to a full sixteen transducer array, the optimized eight transducer configuration displays better accuracy in identifying the correct position of simulated damage (mass of load) on composite laminates with anisotropic characteristics than a non-optimized array. It can help to guarantee more flexible and qualified monitoring of the areas that more frequently suffer damage. The proposed methods are verified experimentally on specimens of carbon fiber reinforced resin composite laminates.

Influence of the PZT Sensor Array Configuration on Lamb Wave Tomography Imaging with the RAPID Algorithm for Hole and Crack Detection

“…Lamb wave-based damage detection in plate-like structures draws increasing attention because Lamb waves can travel over a long distance even in materials with high attenuation and which are highly susceptible to damage along the propagation path [1,2]. Computerized tomography (CT) has been introduced in the Lamb-wave-based damage field and has shown great potential in quantitative damage imaging inside materials [3,4].…”

“…Dziendzikowski [17] defined a signature function for an inhomogeneous noncircular PZT sensor array to normalize the intensity map in a reconstruction image. Some papers can be found that are related to the problem of the optimal sensor placement for complex structures [2,[18][19][20][21]. Predefined objective functions are used to maximize the coverage of the monitored area while minimizing the number of PZT sensors.…”

Optimal sensors layout design based on reference‐free damage localization with lamb wave propagation

“…The most important parameters for structural health monitoring systems using reference‐free damage detection and localization approach are the required number of transducers and their placement for satisfying the considered accuracy. There are various techniques available for optimal placement of transducers . For example, an approach for sensor placement offers determining and enhancing the probability of detection by characterizing the scattering of stress waves cause by the existing defects in a flat plate and in a structure with geometry variations .…”

“…There are various techniques available for optimal placement of transducers. 27,28 For example, an approach for sensor placement offers determining and enhancing the probability of detection by characterizing the scattering of stress waves cause by the existing defects in a flat plate and in a structure with geometry variations. 29 Also, another approach develops an algorithm to obtain the optimal sensor network with the maximum area coverage.…”

An Improved Gaussian Mixture Model for Damage Propagation Monitoring of an Aircraft Wing Spar under Changing Structural Boundary Conditions

“…Among the existing SHM methods, the Guided Wave (GW) and piezoelectric sensor based SHM method is a promising method because it is a regional monitoring method and is sensitive to small damage. It can be also used on-line both for damage monitoring and impact monitoring [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. Though many advanced GW and piezoelectric sensor-based damage monitoring methods have been proposed, they mainly concentrate on increasing sensitivity, localization accuracy and damage resolution [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ].…”