Self-Sensing of Position-Related Loads in Continuous Carbon Fibers-Embedded 3D-Printed Polymer Structures Using Electrical Resistance Measurement

Abstract

Condition monitoring in polymer composites and structures based on continuous carbon fibers show overwhelming advantages over other potentially competitive sensing technologies in long-gauge measurements due to their great electromechanical behavior and excellent reinforcement property. Although carbon fibers have been developed as strain- or stress-sensing agents in composite structures through electrical resistance measurements, the electromechanical behavior under flexural loads in terms of different loading positions still lacks adequate research, which is the most common situation in practical applications. This study establishes the relationship between the fractional change in electrical resistance of carbon fibers and the external loads at different loading positions along the fibers’ longitudinal direction. An approach for real-time monitoring of flexural loads at different loading positions was presented simultaneously based on this relationship. The effectiveness and feasibility of the approach were verified by experiments on carbon fiber-embedded three-dimensional (3D) printed thermoplastic polymer beam. The error in using the provided approach to monitor the external loads at different loading positions was less than 1.28%. The study fully taps the potential of continuous carbon fibers as long-gauge sensory agents and reinforcement in the 3D-printed polymer structures.

Mechanical, Electrical, and Piezoresistive Sensing Characteristics of Epoxy-Based Composites Incorporating Hybridized Networks of Carbon Nanotubes, Graphene, Carbon Nanofibers, or Graphite Nanoplatelets

“…5. The 3% CNT-GNP composite and 1.5% CNT-only composite exhibited relatively high R 2 values, which was related to sensing stability, as well as a relatively high gauge factor.…”

“…Polymer composites with multifunctionality recently became a research topic of interest for numerous global researchers in various fields such as mechanical characteristics reinforcing, stress/strain sensing, electromagnetic wave shielding/absorbing, and others [1][2][3][4]. The research fields mentioned require the mechanical and electrical characteristics of composites to meet a certain standard, and it is imperative that conductive materials such as carbon or metal materials are incorporated into an insulating polymer matrix in order to produce composites with the necessary electrical characteristics [5].…”

Electromechanical Assessment and Induced Temperature Measurement of Carbon Fiber Tows under Tensile Condition

“…On the other hand, the resistance shows a good compatibility to the applied strain in the outside gripping region, shown in Figure 15 . The resistance does not return to its original value due to some irreversible damages in the fibers [ 40 ].…”

“…It was indicated that although the detected permittivity is small for energy harvesting applications, it is sufficient and reversible to be considered a self-sensing property. In a series of publications, carbon fibers were embedded in a 3D printed structure to examine the self-sensing ability due to different types of loadings and defects [ 6 , 40 , 41 , 42 ]. A network of carbon fibers was meshed into 3D printed thermoplastic material and were successfully used to identify damage location.…”

Development of Self-Sensing Textile Strengthening System Based on High Strength Carbon Fiber

“…It should be emphasized that only this second technology allows the use of an essential feature of carbon fibers, which is their high strength. In recent years, a technology enabling the 3D printing of carbon fiber sensors has appeared [14,15]. It should avoid a quite laborious assembly process and will improve the sensor quality.…”