Passive, Conformal RFID Sensor System for Structural Health Monitoring

A common method of structural testing or structural health monitoring is to install strain and temperature sensors and wire them to a data collection system.  In some difficult test environments (e.g., jet engine fan and compressor blades, aircraft propellers, helicopter blades, etc.), a fixed wired connection between the sensor and the evaluation unit cannot be established.  Usage of slip-rings and brushes causes additional mechanical and electrical problems such as interruptions, noise, etc., making these methods unusable in reliable systems.  Currently available commercial off-the-shelf wireless systems lack flexibility and are inappropriate for applications involving harsh environments, tight spaces, and fast moving or rotating structures.  In this proposal, Intelligent Automation Inc. (IAI) and Prof. Bernhard R. Tittmann of Penn State University propose an innovative sensor system that is capable of providing high-bandwidth measurements of both strain and temperature on engine blades in harsh environments.   BENEFIT: Strain and temperature measurements are vitally important for testing, validating, and monitoring the aero-structural design and health condition.  It is highly desirable to have a non-intrusive and in-situ means to provide real time strain/stress and vibration data of a structure so that the catastrophic failure can be prevented.  Our proposed passive, wireless sensor system can well serve such a purpose of early detection of abnormal event and hence improves safety of air and space vehicles and reduces unnecessary maintenances. Therefore, its market potential is huge.)