Use of Piezoelectric Films in Detecting and Monitoring Damage in Composites

Abstract

The increasing emphasis over the past few years on intelligent material systems and structures has resulted in a significant research effort in the areas of embedded and bonded sensors and actuators. Of the many sensing materials available, piezoelectric sensors offer a number of advantages. The sensor output, proportional to changes in surface displacement over a large area, can be used to interpret variations in structural and material properties, e.g., the compliance of the material. This type of sensor has also been used as an ultrasonic transducer. It offers the advantage of having a low structural impedance, thus giving an accurate measurement of the change in area, and consequently can only be used as an actuator on flexible structural systems. The aim of this article is to demonstrate the use of piezoelectric film sensors as a structural integrity monitoring device for composite materials. Tests to date have been aimed at detecting and monitoring impact damage in composite materials, as well as detecting damage in composite-to-metal mechanically fastened joints.

Passive electric potential CT method using piezoelectric material for crack identification

“…(a, h) ¼ (1, 2), (2,2) and (3,2) with keeping h constant, are compared, where a and h are denoted in mm. Furthermore, electric potential distribution on PVDF film was obtained in the case of no crack for investigating the effect of the existence of crack on the electric potential distribution.…”

“…Several investigations have been conducted on the development of intelligent structures using piezoelectric materials. Galea et al [3] showed the possibility of the use of piezoelectric PVDF (poly vinylidene fluoride) film as a sensing device for detecting and monitoring damages in composite materials. Yin et al [4] carried out numerical analyses to demonstrate the feasibility of applying PVDF film for damage detection in composites.…”

Influence of stacking angle of carbon fibers on fracture behavior of TiNi fiber impregnated CFRP composites

“…Shape memory alloys (SMAs), optical fibers and piezoelectric materials have all been used in the fabrication of new functional composites [1][2][3].…”

Experimental Study on Applicability of Passive Electric Potential CT Method for Identification of Three-Dimensional Surface Crack

“…Several investigations have been conducted on the development of smart structures using piezoelectric materials. Galea et al (3) showed the possibility of the use of piezoelectric PVDF (poly vinylidene fluoride) film as a sensor for detecting and monitoring damage in composite materials, in which the replacement of the piezoelectric film for strain gages in smart structures was investigated.…”