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Built-In Diagnostics for Monitoring Crack Growth in Aircraft Structures
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2001
Year
EngineeringMechanical EngineeringDynamic Crack PropagationStructural EngineeringCondition MonitoringReliability EngineeringDamage MechanismSystems EngineeringSmart StructureIndustrial InformaticsSmart LayerMechatronicsStructural Health MonitoringAutomatic Fault DetectionAircraft StructuresSensor HealthCrack FormationStructural MechanicsFault DetectionFracture MechanicsPiezoelectric Actuator
A built-in cost-effective diagnostic system is being developed to monitor fatigue crack growth in aircraft structures. The proposed system consists of a SMART layer with an embedded network of distributed piezoelectric sensors/actuators, a diagnostic unit, and software. The layer is surface-mounted on the critical area where crack initiation and growth are suspected. Using the software, pre-selected diagnostic signals from a designated piezoelectric actuator to its neighboring sensors are generated by the diagnostic unit. The corresponding sensor signals are recorded and compared to a baseline reference, which was previously recorded. Based on the changes in the sensor signals, the software interprets the crack growth condition at the time of measurement. The results of this technique have been verified by experiments.