3D-Printable Piezoelectric Composite Sensors for Acoustically Adapted Guided Ultrasonic Wave Detection

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Commercially available photopolymer resins and lead zirconate titanate (PZT) particles can form 3D-printable piezoelectric composites.
• These composites solidify under UV light, enabling custom sensor geometries for improved performance.
• The suitability of piezoelectric composites for guided ultrasonic wave (GUW) detection in structural health monitoring (SHM) remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of thin piezoelectric composite sensors for GUW detection.
• To demonstrate the manufacturing capabilities of tape casting for geometrically diverse piezoelectric sensors.
• To compare the performance of novel composite sensors against commercial piezoelectric discs.

Main Methods:

• Tape casting of piezoelectric composite suspensions (photopolymer resin with PZT particles).
• UV light solidification, electrode application, and high electric field polarization.
• Adhesive bonding of sensors to an aluminum waveguide for experimental testing.

Main Results:

• Successful detection of GUW by thin piezoelectric composite sensors up to a frequency-thickness product of 0.5 MHz mm.
• Analytical calculations of wave amplitudes showed good agreement with experimental sensor signals.
• Performance comparison indicated comparable or improved wave interaction detection versus commercial piezoelectric discs.

Conclusions:

• 3D-printable piezoelectric composite sensors are viable for GUW detection in SHM applications.
• Tape casting allows for the fabrication of geometrically tailored sensors with demonstrated GUW detection capabilities.
• These novel sensors show promise for enhanced structural health monitoring due to their adaptability and performance.