Health Monitoring Using Sensor Blankets and Coatings with Embedded Sensors

"Corrosion costs for DOD are believed to be >$10 billion annually with $2.5 billion of that associated with the Army. It is estimated that one third of this cost is avoidable. Additionally, undetected corrosion can impact safety and readiness of criticalequipment and structures. In extreme cases, it can cause catastrophic failure with fatalities. The most common corrosion protection scheme is paints and other coatings. As coatings degrade or become damaged, they lose their protec-tive ability. Forcritical applications, condition-based maintenance is needed to prevent structural damage as the coating degrades. DACCO SCI proposes to adapt its corrosion sensor technology for two health-monitoring approaches: a sensor blanket or a smart coating withembedded sensors. The sensors are based on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and directly inspect the coating and underlying structures, as opposed to corrosivity sensors that simply monitor the environment. Con-sequently, the technology is ideallysuited for health monitoring. The sensor blanket will allow in-spection of multiple structures and localization of coating defects and substrate corrosion. A coating with embedded sensors is well suitable for remote monitoring of critical structures.With suitable electronics, monitoring can occur from a central location. Both approaches enable condition-based maintenance of critical structures and equipment. The sensor blanket and em