• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.385-396
• /
• 2017

The recent advancements in sensing technologies allow us to record measurements from target structures at multiple locations and with relatively high spatial resolution. Such measurements can be used to develop data-driven methodologies for condition assessment, control, and health monitoring of target structures. One of the state-of-the-art technologies, Fiber Optic Strain Sensors (FOSS), is developed at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, and is based on Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors. These strain sensors are accurate, lightweight, and can provide almost continuous strain-field measurements along the length of the fiber. The strain measurements can then be used for real-time shape-sensing and operational load-estimation of complex structural systems. While several works have demonstrated the successful implementation of FOSS on large-scale real-life aerospace structures (i.e., airplane wings), there is paucity of studies in the literature that have investigated the potential of extending the application of FOSS into civil structures (e.g., tall buildings, bridges, etc.). This work assesses the feasibility of using FOSS to predict operational loads (e.g., wind loads) on chain-like structures. A thorough investigation is performed using analytical, computational, and experimental models of a 4-story steel building test specimen, developed at the University of Southern California. This study provides guidelines on the implementation of the FOSS technology on building-like structures, addresses the associated technical challenges, and suggests potential modifications to a load-estimation algorithm, to achieve a robust methodology for predicting operational loads using strain-field measurements.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
• /
• v.16 no.11 s.116
• /
• pp.1172-1178
• /
• 2006

Measurement of blade strain with sensors directly installed on the blade has one critical issue, how to send the sensor signal to the ground. Strain-gauges have been dominantly used to directly measure stress of a blade and either a slip ring or a telemetry system has to be used to send measured signal to the ground. However, both systems have many inherent problems and sometimes very severe limitations to be practically used. In this paper, new on-line strain monitoring method using. FBG(Fiber Bragg Grating) sensors and a beam coupler is introduced. Measurement of rotor stress using FBG sensors is nothing new, but unlike other system which installs all necessary instruments on the rotor and use telemetry system to send data to the ground, this system makes use of light's unique characteristic - light travels through space. In this new approach, single optical fiber with many FBG sensors is installed on the blade and all other necessary instruments can be installed at ground thereby giving tremendous advantages over slip ring or telemetry system. A reference sensor is also introduced to compensate the beam coupler's transmission loss change due to rotation. The suggested system's good performance is demonstrated with experiments.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.1 no.4
• /
• pp.385-404
• /
• 2005

The paper presents a model to calculate reinforcement strain using measured crack width in members under applied tension, flexure, and/or shear stress. Crack mapping using a new type of distributed coaxial cable sensors for health monitoring of large-scale civil engineering infrastructure was recently proposed and developed by the authors. This paper shows the results and performance of such sensors mounted on near surface of two flexural beams and a large scale reinforced concrete box girder that was subjected to cyclic combined shear and torsion. The main objectives of this health monitoring study was to correlate the sensor's response to strain in the member, and show that magnitude of the signal's reflection coefficient is related to increases in applied load, repeated cycles, cracking, and reinforcement yielding. The effect of multiple adjacent cracks, and signal loss was also investigated. The results shown in this paper are an important step in using the sensors for crack mapping and determining reinforcement strain for in-situ structures.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.3 no.2
• /
• pp.147-172
• /
• 2007

The present paper is concerned with the design of distributed sensors and actuators. Strain type sensors and actuators are considered with their intensity continuously distributed throughout a continuous structure. The sensors measure a weighted average of the strain tensor. As a starting point for their design we introduce the concept of collocated sensors and actuators as well as the so-called natural output. Then we utilize the principle of virtual work for an auxiliary quasi-static problem to assign a mechanical interpretation to the natural output of the sensors to be designed. Therefore, we take the virtual displacements in the principle of virtual work as that part of the displacement in the original problem, which characterizes the deviation from a desired one. We introduce different kinds of distributed sensors, each of them with a mechanical interpretation other than a weighted average of the strain tensor. Additionally, we assign a mechanical interpretation to the collocated actuators as well; for that purpose we use an extended body force analogy. The sensors and actuators are applied to solve the displacement tracking problem for continuous structures; i.e., the problem of enforcing a desired displacement field. We discuss feed forward and feed back control. In the case of feed back control we show that a PD controller can stabilize the continuous system. Finally, a numerical example is presented. A desired deflection of a clamped-clamped beam is tracked by means of feed forward control, feed back control and a combination of the two.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.13 no.6
• /
• pp.943-957
• /
• 2014

When subjected to fatigue loading, the main failure mode of partially prestressed concrete (PPC) structure is the fatigue fracture of tensile reinforcement. Therefore, monitoring and evaluation of the steel stresses/strains in the structure are essential issues for structural design and healthy assessment. The current study experimentally investigates the possibility of using fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors to measure the steel strains in PPC beams in the process of fatigue loading. Six full-scale post-tensioned PPC beams were exposed to fatigue loading. Within the beams, the FBG and resistance strain gauge (RSG) sensors were independently bonded onto the surface of tensile reinforcements. A good agreement was found between the recorded results from the two different sensors. Moreover, FBG sensors show relatively good resistance to fatigue loading compared with RSG sensors, indicating that FBG sensors possess the capability for long-term health monitoring of the tensile reinforcement in PPC structures. Apart from the above findings, it can also be found that during the fatigue loading, there is stress redistribution between prestressed and non-prestressed reinforcements, and the residual strain emerges in the non-prestressed reinforcement. This phenomenon can bring about an increase of the steel stress in the non-prestressed reinforcement.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation
• /
• v.6 no.3 s.22
• /
• pp.9-16
• /
• 2006

In structural health monitoring, the safety of structural members are assessed by the level of stress measured by various strain sensors based on different sensing mechanisms. Since most existing strain sensors used for health monitoring system can cover a relatively small range of structural members, it is very difficult to measure the maximum value of the member subjected to varying amount and types of loads with those point sensors. The reliability of assessed safety of a member may be improved by increasing the number of sensors. It may not be also realistic to increase the number of sensors to overcome these drawbacks. In this paper, a stress measuring method for beam-column members is developed by estimating the maximum stress based on the average strains obtained from long gauge sensor. The average strain from long gage fiber optic sensor is transformed into the maximum strain by multiplication of the modification factor derived in this research.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
• /
• v.22 no.5
• /
• pp.315-320
• /
• 2013

In this paper, the properties of strain sensors made of spin-capable multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were characterized and their sensing mechanisms analyzed. The key contribution of this paper is a new fabrication technique that introduces a simpler transfer method compared to spin-coating or dispersion CNT. Resistance of the MWCNT sheet strain sensor increased linearly with higher strain. To investigate the effect of CNT concentration on sensitivity, two strain sensors with different layer numbers of MWCNT sheets (one and three layers) were fabricated. According to the results, the sensor with a three-layer sheet showed higher sensitivity than that with one layer. In addition, experiments were conducted to examine the effects of environmental factors, temperature, and gas on sensor sensitivity. An increase in temperature resulted in a reduction in sensor sensitivity. It was also observed that ambient gas influenced the properties of the MWCNT sheet due to charge transfer. Experimental results showed that there was a linear change in resistance in response to strain, and the resistance of the sensor fully recovered to its unstressed state and exhibited stable electromechanical properties.

• Composites Research
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.283-287
• /
• 2022

Stretchable strain sensors have been developed for potential future applications including wearable devices and health monitoring. For practical implementation of stretchable strain sensors, their stability and repeatability are one of the important aspects to be considered. In this work, we utilized 3D printed polymer structures having kirigami patterns to improve the stretchability and reduce the hysteresis. The polymer structures were coated with graphene/carbon nanofiber hybrids to make a robust electrical network. The stretchable strain sensors showed a high gauge of 36 at a strain of 32%. Because of the kirigami structures and the robust graphene/carbon nanofiber coating, the sensors also exhibited stable resistance responses at various strains ranging from 1% to 30%.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
• /
• v.31 no.5
• /
• pp.307-311
• /
• 2022

With the development of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, numerous people worldwide connect with various electronic devices via Human-Machine Interfaces (HMIs). Considering that HMIs are a new concept of dynamic interactions, wearable electronics have been highlighted owing to their lightweight, flexibility, stretchability, and attachability. In particular, wearable strain sensors have been applied to a multitude of practical applications (e.g., fitness and healthcare) by conformally attaching such devices to the human skin. However, the stretchable elastomer in a wearable sensor has an intrinsic stretching limitation; therefore, structural advances of wearable sensors are required to develop practical applications of wearable sensors. In this study, we demonstrated a 3-dimensional (3D), porous, and piezoelectric strain sensor for sensing body movements. More specifically, the device was fabricated by mixing polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and polyvinylidene fluoride nanoparticles (PVDF NPs) as the matrix and piezoelectric materials of the strain sensor. The porous structure of the strain sensor was formed by a sugar cube-based 3D template. Additionally, mixing methods of PVDF piezoelectric NPs were optimized to enhance the device sensitivity. Finally, it is verified that the developed strain sensor could be directly attached onto the finger joint to sense its movements.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society For Composite Materials Conference
• /
• 2003.10a
• /
• pp.141-145
• /
• 2003

The FBG sensors are inserted on the liners of the filament wound pressure tanks. The strains near the welding region of the liners are monitored in the hydro-pressurizing tests. The hydro-pressurizing tests consist of the proof tests at 4500 or 3300 psi and repeated test at the operating pressure, 3000 psi. The FBG sensors work well under $3000\mu\varepsilon$, but the strains calculated from the reflected signals are instable at the high strain level. The transverse compression on the sensor head results in the split of the reflected peaks, and the calculating algorism from the split peaks is not robust under the various signal condition. The FBG sensors fracture near $7500\mu\varepsilon$ level and lose their function permanently.