Author(s): Correia, J. ; Rocha, Helena Cristina Lopes ; Alves, R. ; Nunes, J. P. ; Viana, J. C.
Date: 2024
Persistent ID: https://hdl.handle.net/1822/94095
Origin: RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho
Subject(s): Composite materials; Structural health monitoring; Embeddable monitoring layer; Strain gages
Nowadays, the broad application of composite materials in high profile engineering structures demands the use of real-time monitoring methods to ensure they are behaving in accordance with their mechanical design and in order to avoid any eventual unpredictable failure [1]. The current work presents new layer concepts to be embedded within composite laminate structures with the purpose of monitoring them in real-time. It contains strain gages (SG) that can measure and monitor the evolution of strains in the internal layers of structural composites and an electric circuit directly printed on its surface to transmit the data obtained to an acquisition system able to process them properly. To validate the new structural health monitoring system (SHM), the real-time strains measured directly by new monitoring layers previously embedded into specimens of both glass (GFRP) and carbon fibres (CFRP) reinforced epoxy composites submitted to tensile testing, were compared to the ones obtained from conventional SGs mounted on their outer surfaces. The analysis of experimental data obtained showed that the new proposed monitoring layers could be successfully embedded inside polymer composite laminates and provide accurate real-time data, demonstrating great potential for being used in structural engineering applications.
