Emerging Trends in Damage Tolerance Assessment:A Review of Smart Materials and Self-Repairable Structures

The discipline of damage tolerance assessment has experienced significant advancements due to the emergence of smart materials and self-repairable structures.This review offers a comprehensive look into both traditional and innovative methodologies employed in damage tolerance assessment.After a detailed exploration of damage tolerance concepts and their historical progression,the review juxtaposes the proven techniques of damage assessment with the cutting-edge innovations brought about by smart materials and self-repairable structures.The subsequent sections delve into the synergistic integration of smart materials with self-repairable structures,marking a pivotal stride in damage tolerance by establishing an autonomous system for immediate damage identification and self-repair.This holistic approach broadens the applicability of these technologies across diverse sectors yet brings forth unique challenges demanding further innovation and research.Additionally,the review examines future prospects that combine advanced manufacturing processes with data-centric methodologies,amplifying the capabilities of these‘intelligent’structures.The review culminates by highlighting the transformative potential of this union between smart materials and self-repairable structures,promoting a sustainable and efficient engineering paradigm.

Smart epidermal electrophysiological electrodes:Materials,structures,and algorithms

Epidermal electrophysiological monitoring has garnered significant attention for its potential in medical diagnosis and healthcare,particularly in continuous signal recording.However,simultaneously satisfying skin compliance,mechanical properties,environmental adaptation,and biocompatibility to avoid signal attenuation and motion artifacts is challenging,and accurate physiological feature extraction necessitates effective signal-processing algorithms.This review presents the latest advancements in smart electrodes for epidermal electrophysiological monitoring,focusing on materials,structures,and algorithms.First,smart materials incorporating self-adhesion,self-healing,and self-sensing functions offer promising solutions for long-term monitoring.Second,smart meso-structures,together with micro/nanostructures endowed the electrodes with self-adaption and multifunctionality.Third,intelligent algorithms give smart electrodes a“soul,”facilitating faster and more-accurate identification of required information via automatic processing of collected electrical signals.Finally,the existing challenges and future opportunities for developing smart electrodes are discussed.Recognized as a crucial direction for next-generation epidermal electrodes,intelligence holds the potential for extensive,effective,and transformative applications in the future.

Smart heat isolator with hollow multishelled structures

Safe, green and efficient industrial production has always been the pursuit of the chemical industry. Since thermal energy is the driving force for most of chemical reactions, an ideal reaction tank would have the capacity to automatically regulate heat conduction rate. In detail, this reaction tank should endow an ability that resists the heat loss when the reaction temperature is lower than the target, while accelerating the heat dissipation when the system is overheated. In this case, this smart reactor can not only minimize energy consumption but also reduce safety risks.Hollow structures are known to reduce heat conductivity. Particularly, the hollow structure with multishells can provide more interfaces and thus further inhibit heat transmission, which would be more favorable for heat isolation. Step forward, by coupling HoMSs with temperature-sensitive polymer, a smart heat isolation material has been fabricated in this work. It performs as a good heat isolator at a relatively lower temperature. A heat insulation effect of 6.5℃ can be achieved for the TSPU/3S–TiO_(2)HoMSs with a thickness of 1 mm under the temperature field of 50℃.The thermal conductivity of composite material would be raised under overheating conditions. Furthermore, this composite displays an unusual two-stage phase transformation during heating. Benefiting from the unique multishelled structure, energy is found to be gradually guided into the hollow structure and stored inside. This localized heat accumulation enables the composite to be a potential coating material for intelligent thermal-regulator and site-defined micro-reactor.

SMART STRUCTURES USING PIEZOELEMENTS FOR ACTIVE VIBRATION AND NOISE SUPPRESSION IN AVIATION AND AEROSPACE

Smart material and structure (SMS) is a challenging novel technique for the 21 century especially in fields of aviation and aerospace. Vibration and noise suppression smart structure is an important branch of SMS. There are several typical structures such as the cabin of an airplane, space station, the solar board of satellite and the rotor blade of a helicopter, of which the vibrations and radiation noises have bad influences on precise equipments and aiming systems. In order to suppress vibrations and noises of these structures, several algorithms are applied to the models which simulate the structures. Experiments are performed to suppress vibrations and noises by bonding sensors and actuators to the structures at the optimized locations and using computer based measurement and control systems. For the blade vibration control of a helicopter, a non contact method of signal transmission by magneto electric coupling is discussed. The experimental results demonstrate that the methods used for active control are effective.

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.

Meso-mechanical analyses of shape memory alloy wires reinforced smart structures with damages

The thermo-mechanical behaviors of shape memory alloy (SMA) wires reinforced smart structures with damages are analyzed through variational principle and meso-mechanical method.A governing equation on the structure is derived.Mathematical expressions on meso-displacement field,stress-strain field of typical element with damages are presented.A failure criterion for interface failure between SMA wires and matrix is established under two kinds of actuation which are dead-load and temperature,where the temperature is included in effective free restoring strain.In addition,there are some other composing factors in the failure criterion such as interface properties,thermodynamical properties of SMA,initial debonding length L-l,etc.The results are significant to understand structural strength self-adaptive control and failure mechanism of SMA wires reinforced smart structures with damages,and provide a theoretical foundation for further study on the integrity of SMA smart structures.

DAMAGES AND FAILURES OF SMART STRUCTURES

According to some observed dama ge phenomena in the smart structure systems, the issues related to the damage and failures of smart structures are addressed in this paper. A few possible damage patterns and the definition of the failure of the smart structures are given. It is pointed out that more attentions should be paid to the functional failures o f smart structures. The effects on the control the static deformation due to par tial debonding of PZT actuators are analyzed by the finite element method. Preli minary numerical results show that partial debonding of PZT actuators may have a p preciate reduction on their actuating ability thus reducing the control ability and accuracy of the smart structures.

4D printing: interdisciplinary integration of smart materials, structural design,and new functionality

Four-dimensional printing allows for the transformation capabilities of 3D-printed architectures over time,altering their shape,properties,or function when exposed to external stimuli.This interdisciplinary technology endows the 3D architectures with unique functionalities,which has generated excitement in diverse research fields,such as soft robotics,biomimetics,biomedical devices,and sensors.Understanding the selection of the material,architectural designs,and employed stimuli is crucial to unlocking the potential of smart customization with 4D printing.This review summarizes recent significant developments in 4D printing and establishes links between smart materials,3D printing techniques,programmable structures,diversiform stimulus,and new functionalities for multidisciplinary applications.We start by introducing the advanced features of 4D printing and the key technological roadmap for its implementation.We then place considerable emphasis on printable smart materials and structural designs,as well as general approaches to designing programmable structures.We also review stimulus designs in smart materials and their associated stimulus-responsive mechanisms.Finally,we discuss new functionalities of 4D printing for potential applications and further development directions.

Finite element modeling and feedback control of piezoelectric smart structures

Presents the general formula derived with a smart beam structure bonded with piezoelectric material using the piezoelectricity theory, elastic mechanism and Hamilton principle for electromechanically coupled piezoelectric finite element and dynamic equations, the second order dynamic model built, and the expression of state space, and the analysis of conventional speed and position feedback and the design of optimum feedback controller for output, the finite element models built for a piezoelectric cantilever beam, and the feedback controller designed eventually, and concludes with simulation results that the vibration suppression obtained is very satisfactory and the algorithms proposed are very useful.

Smart Property of Homogeneous Electrorheological Fluid and Its Application in Reducing Seismic Responses of Engineering Structures

The smart properties of homogeneous electrorheological fluid (HERF) containing side-chain type liquid crystalline polymer were studied and an actual HERF damper with an adjustable viscosity was produced.A mechanical model of the HERF smart damper was established on the basis of experiment and theoretical analysis.Then a controlled equation of SDOF structure by HERF damper was derived and a semi active control strategy based on optimal sliding displacement of damper was presented.The simulation results for a single story frame structure indicate that HERF,which may avoid some defects of common particles suspended ER fluids,is an excellent smart material with better stability.Using the semi active control strategy presented,HERF smart damper controlled could effectively reduce seismic responses of structures and keeps the control stable at all times.

An Inductor Model for Analyzing the Performance of Printed Meander Line Antennas in Smart Structures

Meander line antenna has been considered desirable on flight vehicles to reduce drag and minimize aerodynamic disturbance;however, the antenna design and performance analysis have made mostly by trial-and-error. An inductor model by simulating the meander line sections as electrical inductors and the interconnecting radiation elements as a quasi-monopole antenna is developed to analyze the antenna performance. Experimental verifications of the printed meander line antennas embedded in composite laminated substrates show that the inductor model is effective to design and analyze. Of the 4 antennas tested, the discrepancy of resonant frequency in simulation and experiment is within 4.6%.

Field-assisted tunneling enabled pressure-sensitive composites/sensors for smart concrete structures

Spiky spherical nickel powder with sharp nano-tips on its surface is a kind of excellent fillers for developing pressure-sensitive cement-based composites/sensors for traffic detection,structural health monitoring,and border and military security.The sharp nano-tips on the surface of spiky spherical nickel particles can induce field emission and tunneling effects,which leads to the ultrahigh pressure-sensitive responses of the cement-based composites.In this paper,we systematically introduce research on nanotip-induced ultrahigh pressure-sensitive cement-based composites/sensors,with attentions to their pressure-sensitive property and sensing mechanism,pressure-sensitive characteristic model,and smart structure system for traffic detection.

Neural Network Signal Processing Approach for Damage Assessment in Fiberoptic Smart Material Systems and Structures

An approach by using neural network signal processing in associate with embedded fiberoptic sensing array for the newly developed “smart material systems and structures” is discussed in this paper.The principle,structure of this approach and suitable neural network algorithms are described.The results of simulation experiments are also given.

Study on interface failure of shape memory alloy(SMA)reinforced smart structure with damages

Shape memory alloy （SMA） reinforced smart structure can be used to make structural shape and strength selfadapted and structural damage self-restrained. Although SMA smart structures without damages were extensively studied, researches on SMA smart structures with damages have rarely been reported thus far. In this paper, thermo-mechanical behaviors of SMA fiber reinforced smart structures with damages are analyzed through a shear lag model and the variational principle, Mathematical expressions of the meso-displacement field and the stress-strain field of a typical element with damages are obtained, and a failure criterion for interface failure between SMA fibers and matrix is established, which is applied to an example. Results presented herein may provide a theoretical foundation for further studies on integrity of SMA smart structures.

MESO-MECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF SHAPE MEMORY ALLOY REINFORCED SMART STRUCTURE WITH DAMAGE

The mechanical behaviors of shape memory alloy （SMA） wires reinforced smart structure with damage were analyzed through the variational principle, a governing equation for the structure was derived, mathematical expressions for the meso-displacement field, stressstrain field of typical element with damage were presented, and a failure criterion for interface failure between SMA wires and matrix was established under two kinds of actuation which are dead-load and temperature, where the temperature is included in effective free restoring strain. In addition, there are some other composing factors in the failure criterion such as the interface properties, dynamical properties of SMA, initial debonding length L - l etc. The results are significant to understand structural strength self-adapted control and failure mechanism of SMA wires reinforced smart structure with damage.

Encryption/decryption and microtarget capturing by pH-driven Janus microstructures fabricated by the same femtosecond laser printing parameters

Several natural organism can change shape under external stimuli. These natural phenomena have inspired a vast amount of research on exploration and implementation of reconfigurable shape transformation. The Janus structure is a promising approach to achieve shape transformation based on its heterogeneous chemical or physical properties on opposite sides.However, the heterogeneity is generally realized by multi-step processing, different materials,and/or different processing parameters. Here, we present a simple and flexible method of producing p H-sensitive Janus microactuators from a single material, using the same laser printing parameters. These microactuators exhibit reversible structural deformations with large bending angles of ~31°and fast response(~0.2 s) by changing the p H value of the aqueous environment. Benefited from the high flexibility of the laser printing technique and the spatial arrangements, pillar heights, and bending directions of microactuators are readily controlled,enabling a variety of switchable ordered patterns and complex petal-like structures on flat surfaces and inside microchannels. Finally, we explore the potential applications of this method in information encryption/decryption and microtarget capturing.

Life cycle detection of prestress in large prestressed reinforcement structures

To monitor the stress state of prestressed reinforcement in large reinforcement prestressed structure, two sensing structures, namely the direct spiral-winding structure and sawtooth modulated structure, were designed based on the ordinary communication optical fiber. The sensing theories were analyzed, and the experimental studies were also carried out. The quasi-distributed sensing system based on optical time domain reflective technology was established. The detection wavelength and spatial resolution were analyzed, and the estimation formula of maximal number of sensing point was also given. The results show that the system can realize the quasi-distributed test of measurand with single fiber, which helps to simplify the in-out wires. Moreover it can take on the important task of long-term and continuous monitoring of prestress, which helps to realize the life cycle detection of prestress, and play an important role in the estimating of bridge health state.

LINEAR ACTIVE STRUCTURES AND MODES (Ⅰ) —BASIC CONCEPTS AND PROPERTIES

Some basic concepts about the active structures were firstly explained, and the main subjects to study in the field of active structure dynamics were synthesized. For the linear active structures, the annotations on the modes were done in detail. The physical meanings of the right and left eigenvectors were explained. The right eigenvectors are the modal shapes and the modal responses of an active structure depend on the left ones. The adjoint structure of an active structure was defined and the reciprocity theorem was interpreted. For two active structures, which are adjoint to each other and with the reciprocal gain-matrices, the right and left eigenvector are reciprocal. The relationship between an active structure and the corresponding passive structure is expressed with the transfer functions, which is employed to resolve the estimation problems.

Fibre Optic Protection System for Concrete Structures

The design concepts, modelling and implementation of various fibre optic sensor protection systems for development in concrete structures were investigated. Design concepts and on-site requirements for surface-mounted and embedded optical fibre sensor in concrete were addressed. Finite element （FE） modelling of selected sensor protection systems in strain-transfer efficiency from the structure to the sensing region was also studied. And experimental validation of specified sensor protection system was reported. Results obtained indicate that the protection system for the sensors performs adequately in concrete environment and there is very good correlation between results obtained by the protected fibre optic sensors and conventional electrical resistance strain gauges.

Smart Manufacture Process and Structure for Composite Materials

It is difficult to ensure the manufacturing process of composites for the reason that there are complicated processes during curing process of composites. The cure cycle has a significant effect on the quality of the finished part. The traditional cure cycle based on empirical approach could not ensure the quality of cured products because of unstabilized performance, high cost of production and low efficiency. As complex intelligent manufacturing systems are developed increasingly in industry, the necessity of more user friendly operation system is becoming progressively importance for their utilization and market value. This paper introduces some of the recent technological advances in the intelligent manufacturing systems that will influence the design and development of relevant industry.