A wireless sensor system for structural health monitoring with guided ultrasonic waves and piezoelectric transducers

Piezoelectric transducers are widely used for structural health monitoring (SHM) applications. Low weight and small dimensions are only two of the several advantages of piezoelectric transducers. However, these advantages are weakened by using wired connections for supplying the piezoelectric transducers. Besides the additional weight, a long wire connection can have an influence on the measured capacitance. Due to the aforementioned disadvantages, researchers developed different wireless solutions for SHM applications in the last 10 years. In this paper, the authors present a wireless SHM system, which is designed for SHM applications with piezoelectric transducers and guided ultrasonic waves (GUW). The first part in this paper describes the different parts of the wireless SHM system. One novelty of the proposed wireless system is that every wireless signal-processing unit (SPU) in the network can be used for exciting the piezoelectric transducer and also for measuring the voltage signals coming from the piezoelectric transducer. Finally, the paper presents a laboratory test on an aluminium/hardfoam sandwich plate with a removable artificial defect to accurately assess the performance merits and weaknesses of the wireless sensor network.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1080/15732479.2012.671833
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/15732479
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission from Taylor & Francis.
• Authors:
  • Durager, Christian
  • Heinzelmann, Andreas
  • Riederer, Daniela
• Publication Date: 2013-11

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 1177-1186
• Serial:
  • Structure and Infrastructure Engineering
  • Volume: 9
  • Issue Number: 11
  • Publisher: Taylor & Francis
  • ISSN: 1573-2479
  • EISSN: 1744-8980
  • Serial URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/nsie20

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Piezoelectric transducers; Sensors; Structural health monitoring; Ultrasonic waves; Wireless communication systems
• Subject Areas: Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; I61: Equipment and Maintenance Methods;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01493213
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 19 2013 12:16PM