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Thermally Stable Wireless Patch Antenna Sensor for Strain and Crack Sensing.
1School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30301, USA.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 15, 2020
Summary
New patch antenna sensors offer reliable wireless strain and crack detection for structural health monitoring (SHM). These improved sensors overcome temperature interference and extend interrogation distance for better structural safety assessments.
Area of Science:
- Engineering
- Materials Science
- Electrical Engineering
Background:
- Structural safety relies on monitoring strain and cracks.
- Patch antenna sensors offer wireless strain and crack estimation via resonance frequency shifts.
- Existing sensors face challenges from temperature fluctuations and limited interrogation distances.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop thermally stable patch antenna sensors for reliable structural health monitoring (SHM).
- To enhance sensor reliability by mitigating temperature-induced frequency shifts.
- To improve interrogation distance for practical SHM applications.
Main Methods:
- Designed and fabricated passive (battery-free) patch antenna sensors on substrates with stable dielectric constants.
- Developed a dual-mode patch antenna sensor to achieve longer interrogation distances.
- Conducted experimental characterization including thermal stability, tensile strain sensing, and crack sensing.
Main Results:
- The new passive patch antenna sensor demonstrated improved reliability under temperature fluctuations.
- The dual-mode patch antenna sensor achieved a longer interrogation distance.
- Both sensor designs proved effective for wireless strain and crack measurements.
Conclusions:
- Thermally stable and long-range patch antenna sensors are viable for wireless structural health monitoring.
- These novel sensors enhance the reliability and practicality of detecting structural strain and cracks.
- The developed sensors show significant potential for advancing structural safety assessments.
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