STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING

VAlue proposition

This technology can monitor the structural health of pipelines and other structures throughout their lifetime. These sensors do not require a power source, are cheap, and can provide real time updates on every structure where they are applied. Piezoelectric materials produce a measurable charge when acted upon by a force, and do not need to be provided power for this sensing operation to work.  Structural health monitoring is the process of detecting damage to a structure so that the integrity of the system can be maintained. This process requires the observation of a system of sensors over time to assess the system’s response to stress events. The data collected to these events is compared to a record, which then evaluates the health of the system.

Description of Technology

This technology is a sensor system that comprises of four piezoelectric sensors surrounding the structural element being examined such that each sensor has a paired sensor on the opposite side of the element. This arrangement allows for the nature of the stress (compressive stress or tensile stress) affecting the element to be determined by examining the polarity of the charge produced by each of the sensors in a pair, as well as the magnitude of the stress, resulting in a description of a two-dimensional stress profile experienced by the element. As the sensors generate their own power under deformation, only a low power monitoring device is required for the system’s operation. This technology generates a near-real time profile of the stress experienced by a structural member.  Applications include bridge or building elements, aircraft wings, or car parts, and could prevent catastrophic damage to these structures by sending alerts of high stress events or atypical system responses to minor excitations, allowing for preventative maintenance or quick failure notifications.

Benefits

• Increased information and data provided
• Fast response time
• Low cost
• No direct power required

Applications

• Structural health monitoring
• Piezoelectric sensor implementations
• Pipeline monitoring

IP Status

US12,000,740

LICENSING RIGHTS AVAILABLE

Full licensing rights available

INVENTORs: Dr. Nelson Selpulveda, Dr. Yunqi Cao

Tech ID: TEC2020-0111