Battery-Free Antenna Sensors for Strain and Crack Monitoring -- Technical Report (2017-2020)
Principal Investigator: Yang Wang, Ph.D.
Grant Period: 30 Nov 2016 - 30 Sep 2022
Project Period: 01 Mar 2017 - 31 Mar 2020
Abstract
This project studies a wireless patch antenna as a novel strain/crack sensing technique for structural health monitoring (SHM). The strain/crack-induced resonance frequency shift of the antenna can be wirelessly detected and utilized to estimate the surface strain and crack propagation. However, temperature fluctuation can generate some unwanted changes in resonance frequency and introduce significant noises in measurement. This project studies a thermally stable patch antenna sensor through both numerical simulations and laboratory experiments. Using a substrate material with a steady dielectric constant, a patch antenna sensor is designed to perform reliably under temperature fluctuations. In addition, a dual-mode patch antenna sensor is designed to achieve long interrogation distance. Various types of materials used in substrate are investigated through laboratory tests. Strain/crack sensing performance has been validated through multi-physics simulations and experiments. The patch antenna sensors are demonstrated to be effective in wireless strain/crack measurements and have potential for large-scale monitoring of structures.
