Carbon Nanotube-Based Sensing Composites: A Novel Distributed Sensing Approach for Structural Health Monitoring

该项目建议研究和开发用于结构健康监测(SHM)的碳纳米管/聚合物浸渍织物。这个想法是将织物连接到建筑和桥梁的结构构件上，以持续监测构件的变形和裂缝，并在它们超过一定的临界水平时触发警报。由于织物是连续的，所以可以在应用织物的所有表面上测量变形和裂缝。这一开发如果成功，将是迈向可持续建筑和结构的重大进步。一项特别的努力旨在从代表性不足的群体和工程女性(WIE)项目中招收有才华的学生。大学和产业界之间的密切互动将促进基础科学和技术应用之间的快速技术转移。这项研究的重点是将基于碳纳米管的传感技术集成到民用结构和建筑的结构健康监测(SHM)系统中。碳纳米管传感层由导电网络结构组成，能够实现类似神经的分布式传感能力。传感概念是基于利用集成到纺织复合材料的聚合物基质中的导电碳纳米管网络。与传统的SHM传感器相比，基于碳纳米管的传感器具有许多独特的特性，如应变片、加速计或位移传感器，非常适合于分布式传感。初步工作表明，这种新型传感器具有(1)对应变和微损伤极其敏感，(2)适用于多种几何形状，(3)对非线性结构行为具有很好的健壮性和功能性。将进行传感器处理、特性和建模、传感器响应和数据分析以及部件和完整结构的模型测试方面的研究。这项拟议的研究是一项多学科合作，建立在两名研究人员在结构健康监测和结构力学以及纳米结构复合材料和传感器方面的优势基础上。

The project proposes to investigate and develop carbon nanotube/polymer-impregnated fabric for structural health monitoring (SHM). The idea is to attach the fabric to a structural member in buildings and bridges to monitor deformations and cracks in the member continuously and trigger an alarm when they exceed a certain critical level. Because the fabric is continuous, the deformations and cracks can be measured on all the surfaces where the fabric is applied. This development, if successful, can be a significant advancement toward sustainable buildings and structures. A particular effort is aimed at recruiting talented students from underrepresented groups and Women in Engineering (WIE) programs. There is a close university/industry interaction which will facilitate rapid technology transfer between basic science and technological applications.The research focuses on the integration of carbon nanotube-based sensing technology into structural health monitoring (SHM) systems for civil structures and buildings. Carbon nanotube sensing layers consist of a conductive network structure that enables nerve-like distributed sensing capabilities. The sensing concept is based on utilizing electrically conductive carbon nanotube networks integrated into the polymer matrix of a textile composite. Carbon nanotube-based sensors have a number of unique characteristics as compared to traditional SHM sensors, such as strain gages, accelerometers, or displacement sensors, and are extremely well suited for distributed sensing. Preliminary work by has shown that the novel sensor is (1) extremely sensitive to strain and micro-damage, (2) applicable to a wide range of geometries, and (3) robust and functional well into the non-linear structural behavior. Research in sensor processing, characterization and modeling, sensor response and data analysis, and model testing of components as well as complete structures will be performed. The proposed research is a multidisciplinary collaboration and builds upon the strengths of the two investigators in structural health monitoring and structural mechanics and in nanostructured composites and sensors.