Differentiating Structural Damage From Piezo-Fibre-Based Sensor Damage in Multifunctional Composites

Structural health monitoring systems (SHMS) are increasingly being considered for implementation in a wide range of industries, including transport, civil infrastructure, and energy production. As the application of SHM systems increase, it will be increasingly important to quantify the durability, reliability, and reparability of the SHM system. This paper investigates the electrical and electro-mechanical characteristics of piezoelectric sensors in an attempt to distinguish sensor failure from structural damage. This study involved the measurements of pertinent electrical properties for three various types of advanced piezoelectric sensors under fatigue loading. Changes in the capacitance and inductance of these sensors have been recorded, highlighting the deleterious structural changes in the sensor itself without any discernible change in the structure being monitored.