I-Corps: Commercialization Feasibility Of an In-situ Sensor For Vehicular Impact Monitoring System

在许多州，垂直间隙不足被列为涉及公路桥梁事故的主要原因。此外，国家桥梁工程师将超高荷载列为预应力混凝土桥梁损坏的主要原因。尽管高度过高的车辆碰撞十分猖獗且具有破坏性，但我们没有使用任何技术来监测桥梁上的车辆碰撞。事实上，很少有州收集过桥次数的数据。如果能够通过有效的监控系统来防止高度过高的车辆碰撞，则可以节省大量的维护预算。在这项提案中，该团队开发了原位摩擦发光光纤（ITOF）传感器。该技术是一种集成传感和信号传输的传感器系统，可以作为类似于哺乳动物神经的摩擦发光视神经。ITOF系统可以很容易地集成到大型民用和航空航天结构中，以提供原位、分布式和实时的损伤监测。ITOF传感器结合了聚合物光纤（POF）非常理想的特性，如重量轻、尺寸小、抗电磁干扰和分布式传感能力，以及ZnS:Mn的摩擦发光（TL）特性。ITOF传感器具有集成传感（摩擦发光感觉受体）和传输组件（聚合物光纤），可将来自冲击和裂纹扩展等损伤事件的能量转换为指示复合材料结构损伤程度的光信号。

Inadequate vertical clearance is listed as a leading cause of accidents involving highway bridges in many States. In addition, state bridge engineers list over-height loads as the leading cause of damages to pre-stressed concrete bridges. As rampant and destructive as over-height vehicle collisions are, there is no technology in use for monitoring vehicle collisions on our bridges. In fact, very few states collect data on bridge hits. Very significant maintenance budget savings can be achieved if over-height vehicle collisions can be prevented with an effective monitoring system. In this proposal, the team has developed the In-situ Triboluminescent Optical Fiber (ITOF) sensor. This proposed technology is an integrated sensing and signal transmission sensor system that can function as a triboluminescent optical nerve analogous to the nerves in mammals. The ITOF system may be readily integrated into large civil and aerospace structures to provide in-situ, distributed and real time damage monitoring. The ITOF sensor combines the highly desirable features of polymer optical fibers (POF) such as lightweight, smaller sizes, immunity to electromagnetic interference and capacity for distributed sensing with the triboluminescent (TL) property of ZnS:Mn. The ITOF sensor has an integrated sensing (triboluminescence sensory receptor) and transmission component (polymer optical fiber) that converts the energy from damage events like impacts and crack propagation into optical signals that are indicative of the magnitude of damage in composite structures.