A smart multi-functional printed sensor for monitoring curing and damage of composite repair patch

Abstract

A novel multifunctional diagnostic sensor is developed as a cost-effective, in-service structural health monitoring (SHM) system for determining the initial quality of curing of a bonded composite repair patch and assessing its long-term durability on composite structure. The proposed multi-functional sensor technology involves the creation of a "tailor-to-order" 2D conductive patterns onto step-sanded repair surface of composite repair patch using inkjet printing. In employing this methodology, bondline quality during curing and in service was successfully assessed via Impedance spectroscopy and resistance change measurements, respectively. The ability of this technology to effectively monitor the integrity of the bondline and the extent of damage in real-time was investigated by subjecting the scarf-repaired CFRP panels to 3-point bending fatigue and low-velocity impact tests. The obtained results were compared with those of transient infrared thermography (IrT) and ultrasound inspection techniques, thus validating the proposed method.