Test on Sensor Effect of Cement Matrix Piezoelectric Composite

A novel cement matrix smart piezoelectric composite and its application as sensing element are presented.A cement matrix smart piezoelectric composite piece encapsulated in a cement mortar formed a practical sensor, and it was tested on material test system with cyclic loading.According to the theoretical analysis, the function of the cement matrix piezoelectric sensor output voltage was expressed in terms of the magnitude of the input cyclic loading amplitude and frequency.The curve fitting of gain function that is defined as sensor′s gain factor under different frequencies of input loading was carried out. From the results of curve fitting, it is found that the cement matrix smart piezoelectric composite has a simple relationship between input loading and output voltage.Therefore the cement matrix piezoelectric composite sensor is suitable to be applied in structural health monitoring.

FINITE ELEMENT MODELING OF MODERATELY THICK COMPOSITE PLATE WITH PIEZOELECTRIC SENSORS AND ACTUATORS

A rectangular finite element for laminated plate with bonded and/or embedded piezoelectric sensors and actuators is developed based on the variational principle and the first order shear deformation theory. The element has four-node, 20-degrees-of-freedom with one potential degree of freedom for each piezoelectric layer to represent the piezoelectric behavior. The higher order derivation of deflection is obtained by using the normal rotation expressions to take the effects of transverse shear deformation into considerations. The finite element can accurately simulate the deformation of both thin and moderately thick plates. A Fortran program is written and a number of benchmark tests are exercised to verify its effectiveness. Results are compared well with the existing data. The unbalanced composite with piezoelectric layers is then analyzed by using the model. Results show that the changes of the ratio between the thickness of positive angle layers and the negative angle layers have an effect on the deformation of the structure under the same electric loading.

Flexible piezoresistive pressure sensor based on a graphene-carbon nanotube-polydimethylsiloxane composite

Flexible sensors are used widely in wearable devices, specifically flexible piezoresistive sensors, which are common and easy to manipulate.However, fabricating such sensors is expensive and complex, so proposed here is a simple fabrication approach involving a sensor containing microstructures replicated from a sandpaper template onto which polydimethylsiloxane containing a mixture of graphene and carbon nanotubes is spin coated. The surface morphologies of three versions of the sensor made using different grades of sandpaper are observed, and the corresponding pressure sensitivities and linearity and hysteresis characteristics are assessed and analyzed. The results show that the sensor made using 80-mesh sandpaper has the best sensing performance. Its sensitivity is 0.341 kPa-1in the loading range of 0–1.6 kPa, it responds to small external loading of 100 Pa with a resistance change of 10%, its loading and unloading response times are 0.126 and 0.2 s, respectively,and its hysteresis characteristic is ~7%, indicating that the sensor has high sensitivity, fast response, and good stability. Thus, the presented piezoresistive sensor is promising for practical applications in flexible wearable electronics.

Disbond detection with piezoelectric wafer active sensors in RC structures strengthened with FRP composite overlays

The capability of embedded piezoelectric wafer active sensors(PWAS)to perform in-situ nondestructive evaluation(NDE)for structural health monitoring(SHM)of reinforced concrete(RC)structures strengthened with fiber reinforced polymer(FRP)composite overlays is explored.First,the disbond detection method were developed on coupon specimens consisting of concrete blocks covered with an FRP composite layer.It was found that the presence of a disbond crack drastically changes the electromecfianical(E/M)impedance spectrum lneasurcd at the PWAS terlninals.The spectral changes depend on the distance between the PWAS and the crack tip.Second,large scale experiments were conducted on a RC beam strengthened with carbon fiber reinforced polymer(CFRP)composite overlay.The beam was subject to an accelerated fatigue load regime in a three-point bending configuration up to a total of 807,415 cycles.During these fatigue tests,the CFRP overlay experienced disbonding beginning at about 500,000 cycles.The PWAS were able to detect the disbonding before it could be reliably seen by visual inspection.Good correlation between the PWAS readings and the position and extent of disbond damage was observed.These preliminary results demonstrate the potential of PWAS technology for SHM of RC structures strengthened with FRP composite overlays.

Quantitative Identification of Delamination Damage in Composite Structure Based on Distributed Optical Fiber Sensors and Model Updating

Delamination is a prevalent type of damage in composite laminate structures.Its accumulation degrades structural performance and threatens the safety and integrity of aircraft.This study presents a method for the quantitative identification of delamination identification in composite materials,leveraging distributed optical fiber sensors and a model updating approach.Initially,a numerical analysis is performed to establish a parameterized finite element model of the composite plate.Then,this model subsequently generates a database of strain responses corresponding to damage of varying sizes and locations.The radial basis function neural network surrogate model is then constructed based on the numerical simulation results and strain responses captured from the distributed fiber optic sensors.Finally,a multi-island genetic algorithm is employed for global optimization to identify the size and location of the damage.The efficacy of the proposed method is validated through numerical examples and experiment studies,examining the correlations between damage location,damage size,and strain responses.The findings confirm that the model updating technique,in conjunction with distributed fiber optic sensors,can precisely identify delamination in composite structures.

3D printing of flexible piezoelectric composite with integrated sensing and actuation applications

3D printing of flexible piezoelectric composites(3D-FPCs)is increasingly attracting the attention due to its unique advantage for customized smart applications.However,current research mainly focuses on the 0-3 piezoelectric composites,in which the piezoelectric ceramics are embedded in polymer matrix in the form of particles.The poor connectivity between particles much reduces the conduction of strain and charge in the composites,seriously limiting its application in actuation.In this work,a continuous lead zirconate titanate(PZT)double-layer ceramic scaffold was prepared by 3D printing and assembled with epoxy resin and interdigital electrodes together to manufacture a multifunctional device.The 3D-FPCs exhibit a free strain of 1830 ppm in actuating and are able to actuate a stainless-steel cantilever beam to produce a tip displacement of 5.71 mm.Additionally,the devices exhibit a sensitivity of 26.81V/g in sensing applications.Furthermore,3D-FPCs are demonstrated as actuators for mobile small robots and wearable sensors for sensing joint activities.

A Single-Layer Piezoelectric Composite Separator for Durable Operation of Li Metal Anode at High Rates

Piezoelectric ceramic and polymeric separators have been proposed to effectively regulate Li deposition and suppress dendrite growth,but such separators still fail to satisfactorily support durable operation of lithium metal batteries owing to the fragile ceramic layer or low-piezoelectricity polymer as employed.Herein,by combining PVDF-HFP and ferroelectric BaTiO_(3),we develop a homogeneous,single-layer composite separator with strong piezoelectric effects to inhibit dendrite growth while maintaining high mechanical strength.As squeezed by local protrusion,the polarized PVDF-HFP/BaTiO_(3)composite separator generates a local voltage to suppress the local-intensified electric field and further deconcentrate regional lithium-ion flux to retard lithium deposition on the protrusion,hence enabling a smoother and more compact lithium deposition morphology than the unpoled composite separator and the pure PVDF-HFP separator,especially at high rates.Remarkably,the homogeneous incorporation of BaTiO_(3)highly improves the piezoelectric performances of the separator with residual polarization of 0.086 pC cm^(-2)after polarization treatment,four times that of the pure PVDF-HFP separator,and simultaneously increases the transference number of lithium-ion from 0.45 to 0.57.Beneficial from the prominent piezoelectric mechanism,the polarized PVDF-HFP/BaTiO_(3)composite separator enables stable cyclic performances of Li||LiFePO_(4)cells for 400 cycles at 2 C(1 C=170 mA g^(-1))with a capacity retention above 99%,and for 600 cycles at 5 C with a capacity retention over 85%.

APPLICATIONS OF PIEZOELECTRIC MATERIAL SENSORS IN SMART STRUCTURES

The use of piezoelectric material sensors in smart composite structures is investigated. An experimental structure bonded with lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric ceramic(PZT) sensors is developed. These bonded sensors are employed to monitor load variations and transient impacts in the structure. Incorporated with pattern recognition approach, PZT sensors have succeeded in detecting the onset and location of damages.

Test and analysis of dynamic compaction vibration based on piezoelectric sensor

The paper takes a new campus project site of Shanxi university town for example, tests the influence of dynamic com- paction vibration and vibration isolation effect of isolation trench on this ground, and compares the influences of the dynamic compaction vibration on surrounding buildings with isolation trench and without it. Furthermore, the attenuation law of dy- namic compaction vibration in fill foundation of the loess area under different tamping energy and how to determine safe distance of dynamic compaction construction are studied. And then the quantitative relationship between acceleration and vibration source in new campus project site is presented. We derive the evaluation method that dynamic compaction construction affects adjacent buildings by contrasting with the existing standards and norms. The monitoring results show that isolation trench makes the amplitude attenuation of the horizontal velocity of dynamic compaction vibration reach above 75%, and the safe dis- tance be 30 m under the tamping energy of 6 000 kN · m. Therefore, isolation trench is better for vibration reduction under dynamic compaction construction.

A Self-Referenced Fiber-Optic Refractive Index Sensor for Cure Monitoring of Epoxy Composites

A self referenced fiber optic refractive index sensor is developed to measure quantitative cure extent of epoxy. In case the sensor is applied to in situ cure monitoring of epoxy composites, each sensor embedded in different location within the structure is self referenced and can be normalized to a common scale. Therefore, the real time comparative of each sensor’s output becomes possible and variations in the extent of cure at different locations can be monitored. The developed sensor was used to monitor the isothermal cure of an epoxy system. The output of the sensor was compared with the results of the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The self referencing function of the sensor is confirmed.

The Anti-Vibrating-Impact Research of the Piezoelectric Resonator Force Sensor

Based on the analysis of one-dimension inertial accelerometer movement model,from which the resolution of the accelerometer inertial mass displacement equation was derived,the response of the sensor sensing element to vibration and impact of various frequencies was studied.The theoretical and experimental results show that a reasonable configuration among the sensing element inherent frequency,environmental exciting frequency and the damp factors of the sensor is the key to prevent the sensor from damage.The sensor has good anti-vibrating impact ability when the relative damp factor is 0.7,and the environmental interferential vibrating frequency is less than 0.35 times of the inherent frequency of the sensing element.

Electrospinning of Flexible Poly(vinyl alcohol)/MXene Nanofiber-Based Humidity Sensor Self-Powered by Monolayer Molybdenum Diselenide Piezoelectric Nanogenerator

Two-dimensional material has been widely investigated for potential applications in sensor and flexible electronics.In this work,a self-powered flexible humidity sensing device based on poly(vinyl alcohol)/Ti_(3)C_(2)Tx(PVA/MXene)nanofibers film and monolayer molybdenum diselenide(MoSe2)piezoelectric nanogenerator(PENG)was reported for the first time.The monolayer MoSe_(2)-based PENG was fabricated by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition techniques,which can generate a peak output of 35 mV and a power density of42 mW m^(-2).The flexible PENG integrated on polyethylene terephthalate(PET)substrate can harvest energy generated by different parts of human body and exhibit great application prospects in wearable devices.The electrospinned PVA/MXene nanofiber-based humidity sensor with flexible PET substrate under the driven of monolayer MoSe_(2) PENG,shows high response of~40,fast response/recovery time of 0.9/6.3 s,low hysteresis of 1.8%and excellent repeatability.The self-powered flexible humidity sensor yields the capability of detecting human skin moisture and ambient humidity.This work provides a pathway to explore the high-performance humidity sensor integrated with PENG for the self-powered flexible electronic devices.

Application and analysis of functionally graded piezoelectrical rotating cylinder as mechanical sensor subjected to pressure and thermal loads

The exact thermoelastic analysis of a functionally graded piezoelectrical （FGP） rotating cylinder is investigated analytically. The cylinder is subjected to a com- bination of electrical, thermal, and mechanical loads simultaneously. The structure is a simplified model of a rotational sensor or actuator. The basic governing differential equation of the system is obtained by using the energy method. A novel term, named as the additional energy, is introduced to exact the evaluation of the energy functional. The solution to the governing differential equation is presented for two types of boundary conditions including free rotating and rotating cylinders exposed to the inner pressure. The effect of the angular velocity is investigated on the radial distribution of various components. The mentioned structure can be considered as a sensor for measuring the angular velocity of the cylinder subjected to the pressure and temperature. The obtained results indicate that the electrical potential is proportional to the angular velocity.

Non-destructive Evaluation of Composite Pressure Vessel by Using FBG Sensors

In recent years, advanced composite structures are used extensively in many industries such as aerospace, aircraft, automobile, pipeline and civil engineering. Reliability and safety are crucial requirements posed by them to the advanced composite structures be- cause of their harsh working conditions. Therefore, as a very important measure, structural health monitoring （SHM） in-service is deft- nitely demanded for ensuring their safe working in-situ. In this paper, fiber Bragg grating （FBG） sensors are surface-mounted on the hoop and in the axial directions of a FRP pressure vessel to monitor the strain status during its pressurization. The experimental results show that the FBG sensors could be used to monitor the strain development and determine the ultimate failure strain of the composite pressure vessel.

Orange dye polyaniline composite based impedance humidity sensors

This study presents the fabrication and investigation （PANI） composite films. A blend of 3 wt.% OD with 1 of humidity sensors based on orange dye （OD） and polyaniline wt.% PANI was prepared in 1 ml water. The composite films were deposited on glass substrates between pre-deposited silver electrodes. The gap between the electrodes was 45 um. The sensing mechanism was based on the impedance and capacitance variations due to the absorption/desorption of water vapor. It was observed that with the increase in relative humidity （RH） from 30% to 90%, the impedance decreases by 5.2 × 10^4 and 8.8 × 10^3 times for the frequencies of 120 Hz and 1 kHz, respectively. The impedance-humidity relationship showed a more uniform change compared to the capacitance-humidity relationship in the RH range of 30% to 90%. The consequence of annealing, measuring frequency, response and recovery time, and absorption-desorption behavior of the humidity sensor were also discussed in detail. The annealing resulted in an increase in sensitivity of up to 2.5 times, while the measured response time and recovery time were 34 s and 450 s, respectively. The impedance-humidity relationship was simulated.

Vibration analysis of a new polymer quartz piezoelectric crystal sensor for detecting characteristic materials of volatility liquid

We present a new polymer quartz piezoelectric crystal sensor that takes a quartz piezoelectric crystal as the basal material and a nanometer nonmetallic polymer thin film as the surface coating based on the principle of quartz crystal microbalance(QCM). The new sensor can be used to detect the characteristic materials of a volatile liquid. A mechanical model of the new sensor was built, whose structure was a thin circle plate composing of polytef/quartz piezoelectric/polytef. The mechanical model had a diameter of 8 mm and a thickness of 170 μm. The vibration state of the model was simulated by software ANSYS after the physical parameters and the boundary condition of the new sensor were set. According to the results of experiments, we set up a frequency range from 9.995850 MHz to 9.997225 MHz, 17 kinds of frequencies and modes of vibration were obtained within this range. We found a special frequency fspof 9.996358 MHz. When the resonant frequency of the new sensor's mechanical model reached the special frequency, a special phenomenon occurred. In this case, the amplitude of the center point O on the mechanical model reached the maximum value. At the same time, the minimum absolute difference between the simulated frequency based on the ANSYS software and the experimental measured stable frequency was reached. The research showed that the design of the new polymer quartz piezoelectric crystal sensor perfectly conforms to the principle of QCM. A special frequency value fspwas found and subsequently became one of the most important parameters in the new sensor design.

Finite Element Analysis of Smart Structures with Piezoelectric Sensors/Actuators Including Debonding

In vibration active control of composite structures, piezoelectricsensors/actuators are usually bonded to the surface of a host structure. Debonding of piezoelectricsensors/actuators can result in significant changes to the static and dynamic response. In thepresent paper, an novel Enhanced Assumed Strain(EAS) piezoelectric solid element formulation isdeveloped for vibration active control of laminated structures bonded with piezoelectric sensors andactuators. Unlike the conventional brick elements, the present formulation is very reliable, moreaccurate, and computationally efficient and can be used to model the response of shell structuresbesides thin plates. Delaminations are modeled by pairs of nodes with the same coordinates butdifferent node numbers, and numerical results demonstrate the performance of the element and theglobal and local effects of debonding sensors/actuators on the dynamics of the adaptive laminates.

Superflexible and Lead-Free Piezoelectric Nanogenerator as a Highly Sensitive Self-Powered Sensor for Human Motion Monitoring

For traditional piezoelectric sensors based on poled ceramics,a low curie tem-perature(T_(c))is a fatal flaw due to the depolarization phenomenon.However,in this study,we find the low T_(c) would be a benefit for flex-ible piezoelectric sensors because small alterations of force trig-ger large changes in polarization.BaTi_(0.88)Sn_(0.12)O_(3)(BTS)with high piezoelectric coefficient and low T_(c) close to human body temperature is taken as an example for materials of this kind.Continuous piezo-electric BTS films were deposited on the flexible glass fiber fabrics(GFF),self-powered sensors based on the ultra-thin,superflexible,and polarization-free BTS-GFF/PVDF composite piezoelectric films are used for human motion sensing.In the low force region(1-9 N),the sensors have the outstanding performance with voltage sensitivity of 1.23 V N^(−1) and current sensitivity of 41.0 nA N^(−1).The BTS-GFF/PVDF sensors can be used to detect the tiny forces of falling water drops,finger joint motion,tiny surface deformation,and fatigue driving with high sensitivity.This work provides a new paradigm for the preparation of superflexible,highly sensitive and wearable self-powered piezoelectric sensors,and this kind of sensors will have a broad application prospect in the fields of medical rehabilitation,human motion monitoring,and intelligent robot.

High sensitive piezoelectric quartz crystal liquid density sensor

We report for the first time a cleavage phenomenon in the resonant peak of a piezoelectric quartz crystal(PQC) in liquid phase.In the presence of a strong longitudinal wave effect,an additional resonant peak appears in the conductance-frequency curve.With gradually increasing liquid density,the additional peak moves from low to high frequency region then disappears.The frequency of the additional resonant peak is sensitive to the change in liquid density.The frequency shift of the additional peak is linear with the liquid density in a given range.For a 5 MHz PQC with a reflection distance of 16 mm for longitudinal wave,the sensitivity to liquid density is 2.61×10^6 Hz g^-1 cm^3.The overlap between the primary resonant peak and the additional resonant peak causes a decrease in the intensity of the former and an increase in the intensity of the latter.In a combined impedance analysis method,the changes in surface mass loading,density and viscosity of the liquid were monitored simultaneously by a PQC sensor.

Piezoresistive Response Extraction for Smart Cement-based Composites/Sensors

A kind of piezoresistive response extraction method for smart cement-based composites/sensors was proposed.Two kinds of typical piezoresistive cement-based composites/sensors were fabricated by respectively adding carbon nanotubes and nickel powders as conductive fillers into cement paste or cement mortar.The variation in measured electrical resistance of such cement-based composites/sensors was explored without loading and under repeated compressive loading and impulsive loading.The experimental results indicate that the measured electrical resistance of piezoresistive cement-based composites/sensors exhibits a two-stage variation trend of fast increase and steady increase with measurement time without loading,and an irreversible increase after loading.This results from polarization caused by ionic conduction in these composites/sensors.After reaching a plateau,the measured electrical resistance can be divided into an electrical resistance part and an electrical capacity part.The piezoresistive responses of electrical resistance part in measured electrical resistance to loading can be extracted by eliminating the linear electrical capacity part in measured electrical resistance.