Collaborative Research: Highly Nonlinear Transducer Arrays for Structural Health Monitoring

本项目将研究用于土木结构和材料的无损评估(NDE)和结构健康监测(SHM)的新型非线性驱动器阵列的基本特性和应用。研究人员还将探索使用非线性致动器聚焦和收集弹性能量以及对大宗材料成像的能力。本文所研究的非线性驱动器阵列可以产生高度非线性的孤立波，这是一种具有有限空间维度的致密的非色散应力波。这些脉冲的空间尺寸与波幅无关，只与非线性材料的几何形状有关。HNSWs有望改进当前的NDE/SHM设备，因为它们能够支持完全依赖机械激励的非振荡、高幅度信号。在基本层面上，研究人员的目标是了解与不同相邻固体介质相邻的高度非线性致动器阵列的行为。特别是，他们将：(I)研究作为相邻介质特性的函数的非线性波聚焦的能力；(Ii)设计和实施改善通过致动器与相邻介质之间的接口的信号传输的方法；(Iii)确定信号功率的限制和由于高度非线性致动器的故障而导致的性能降级。从纯应用的角度来看，该项目将致力于HNSWs在结构材料的NDE/SHM中的应用。除了对非线性动力学科学界的影响外，拟议的研究还将对广泛的工程应用具有战略意义。这项研究的NDE/SHM组件能够提高现有民用和航空航天结构的安全性。收集集中弹性能量的能力有可能创造出为小型电子设备和传感器提供动力的新的、可持续的方法。这项研究成果将有助于开发用于声学成像的新型换能器阵列，我们的研究成功可能会对生物医学成像社区产生影响。一些研究成果和实验将被整合到研究人员的教学文件和推广活动中。这项研究将为所有参与的学生提供多学科的培训。由于预计将至少提交一项专利申请，因此将探索潜在的营销机会。最后，研究成果将通过提交期刊论文和在国际受众会议上介绍的方式广泛传播。

This propoject will investigate the fundamental properties and applications of novel arrays of nonlinear actuators for the nondestructive evaluation (NDE) and structural health monitoring (SHM) of civil structures and materials. The investigators will also explore the ability to use the nonlinear actuators for focusing and harvesting elastic energy, and for imaging bulk materials. The arrays of nonlinear actuators included in this study can generate highly nonlinear solitary waves (HNSWs), which are compact non-dispersive stress waves with a finite spatial dimension. The spatial dimension of these pulses is independent of the wave amplitude and dependent only on the nonlinear material's geometry. HNSWs hold promise to improve current NDE/SHM devices because of their ability to support non-oscillatory, high amplitude signals that rely exclusively on mechanical excitations. On a fundamental level, the investigators aim at understanding the behavior of arrays of highly nonlinear actuators adjacent to different neighboring solid media. In particular, they will: (i) study the ability to focus nonlinear waves as a function of the properties of the adjacent media, (ii) design and implement methods to improve transmission of the signal across the interface between the actuators and the adjacent media; (iii) determine the limitations of signal power and the degradation of performance due to failure of the highly nonlinear actuators. From a purely applied perspective, the project will be devoted to the application of HNSWs for the NDE/SHM of structural materials. Besides the impact to the nonlinear dynamics scientific community, the proposed research will have strategic importance to a broad range of engineering applications. The NDE/SHM component of this research enables to increase the safety of existing civil and aerospace structures. The ability to harvest focused elastic energy has the potential to create new, sustainable means to power small electronic devices and sensors. This research outcomes will enable the development of novel transducers arrays for acoustic imaging, the successful outcome of our research could impact the biomedical imaging community.Some of the research outcomes and experiments will be integrated into the investigators' teaching portfolio and into outreach activities. This research will provide multidisciplinary training for all participating students. As the submission of at least one patent application is forecast, potential marketing opportunities will be explored. Finally, the research results will be broadly disseminated through the submission of journal articles and through the presentation at conferences of international audience.