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无损评估（NDE）和结构健康监测（SHM）的新型非线性执行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成像块状材料的能力。本文所研究的非线性致动器阵列可以产生高度非线性孤立波（HNSWs），这是一种具有有限空间维度的紧致非色散应力波。这些脉冲的空间维度与波幅无关，只与非线性材料的几何形状有关。hnsw有望改善当前的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执行器阵列的行为。特别是，他们将：(i)研究聚焦非线性波的能力，作为邻近介质特性的函数，（ii）设计和实施方法，以改善执行器和邻近介质之间的接口上的信号传输；（iii）确定信号功率的限制和由于高度非线性致动器失效而导致的性能下降。从纯粹的应用角度来看，该项目将致力于高强度微波在结构材料无损检测/SHM中的应用。除了对非线性动力学科学界的影响外，所提出的研究将对广泛的工程应用具有战略意义。本研究的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新的、可持续的方法来为小型电子设备和传感器供电。这一研究成果将促进新型声成像换能器阵列的发展，我们研究的成功结果将影响生物医学成像界。一些研究成果和实验将被纳入研究人员的教学作品集和推广活动。这项研究将为所有参与的学生提供多学科的培训。由于预计将提交至少一项专利申请，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文章和国际听众会议的介绍来广泛传播。

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.