Innovation in Strain Sensing and Damage Detection in Composite Repairs using Printed Gages

Wireless strain sensing is proposed as an innovative solution to health monitoring of aerostructures, with particular emphasis on diagnostic, high fidelity vehicle repair. Employing the Direct Write Thermal Spray process, low-profile strain gages will be fabricated and embedded on composite surfaces for monitoring static and dynamic strain. Sensor characteristics, such as gage factor, drift, thermal response, and durability will be optimized to meet Navy requirements through systematic thermal, mechanical, and environmental testing. Deposition parameters will be tailored to enhance compatibility with composite structures and facilitate sensor deployment on aerospace components. To access the recorded strain history and address integration challenges associated with composite instrumentation, a wireless interrogation package will be developed for communicating data from the sensor arrays to a mobile computer. This system will comprise an on-board electronics package that will interface directly with the sensors to record strain data, and a mobile interrogation unit to wirelessly acquire and analyze data from the on-board system memory. Integrated strain sensing and ruggedized wireless acquisition provides a deployable solution for aerostructure diagnostics and health management.