Passive Wireless Sensor System for Structural Health Monitoring

Albido proposes to develop a Passive Wireless Sensor System for Structural Health Monitoring capable of measuring high-bandwidth temperature and strain of space and aerospace vehicle components operating in extreme environments. The proposed system uses a network of true passive Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) temperature/strain sensors that can be interrogated wirelessly from a distance of several meters. SAW sensors are lightweight, passive (battery-less), simple, reliable, scalable, sensitive, do not disturb the operating environment, can be permanently placed on the critical components, allow quick and inexpensive acquisition of data to diagnose structure performance or failures, and transmit the relevant data to a remote data processing center wirelessly. A low cost software radio approach will be developed to overcome a strategic bottleneck in SAW sensor system development. In Phase I Albido demonstrated the proof-of-concept of the proposed sensor and the transmission capability in an adequate laboratory environment (TRL 3). Based on the successful results of Phase I, we will develop a product prototype in Phase II that will be validated in a relevant environment by comparison testing against conventional instrumentation on a test article indicated by NASA. At the end of Phase II, the sensor system will be at TRL 6.