Reusable Piezoelectric Sensor for Multi-Site Damage Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Piezoelectric ceramic plates used in damage identification are not reusable, leading to significant testing errors due to differences in parameters and natural frequencies, requiring multiple plates for different sites, which is inefficient and error-prone.
Innovation Solution
A reusable piezoelectric sensor design featuring a piezoelectric ceramic plate housed in a metal box with a striking face, allowing for repeated bonding and removal without damaging the sensor, ensuring accurate impedance measurements and reducing signal interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If piezoelectric ceramic plates are fixedly bonded to identify damage at different sites, then damage identification can be performed at multiple locations, but the piezoelectric ceramic plates cannot be removed for repeated use and require multiple plates with different parameters
Solution Approach 1:
The piezoelectric sensor is divided into two separable parts: the piezoelectric ceramic plate and the metal box. The ceramic plate remains inside the metal box for repeated use, while the metal box is removed and rebonded to different sites for damage identification at multiple locations. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by allowing adaptability through relocation while maintaining measurement precision through reuse of the same ceramic plate.
Solution Approach 2:
The piezoelectric ceramic plate is extracted from direct bonding to the test piece and placed inside the metal box. The metal box serves as the removable bonding interface, while the ceramic plate remains protected and reusable. This extraction allows the ceramic plate to be separated from the bonding process, enabling repeated use without damage and eliminating parameter variation errors.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple piezoelectric ceramic plates are bonded to different sites, then damage identification at multiple locations is enabled, but manufacturing and operational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The metal box is designed as a universal interface that can be bonded to multiple different sites on different structures. The same piezoelectric sensor assembly (ceramic plate + metal box) can be relocated and reused for damage identification at various locations, eliminating the need for multiple specialized ceramic plates. This universality reduces device complexity while maintaining multi-site identification capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The metal box is designed to be temporarily discarded (removed) from one site and recovered (reused) at another site. The piezoelectric ceramic plate is permanently retained inside the metal box for repeated cycles. This approach reduces the total number of ceramic plates needed from multiple to just one, significantly simplifying the system while enabling multi-site testing.
3Measurement precision
If piezoelectric ceramic plates are directly bonded to test pieces, then damage identification is achieved, but the plates cannot be removed for repeated use
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor system is segmented into the reusable piezoelectric ceramic plate housed in the metal box, and the removable metal box itself. The ceramic plate remains intact inside the box for repeated use, while the metal box is removed and rebonded to different test pieces. This segmentation preserves measurement precision through consistent ceramic plate performance while enabling repeated use across multiple testing cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The metal box serves as an intermediary between the piezoelectric ceramic plate and the test piece. Instead of bonding the ceramic plate directly to the test piece, the metal box mediates the connection. This intermediary protects the ceramic plate from damage during removal and rebonding processes, enabling repeated use while maintaining the coupling necessary for accurate damage identification measurements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The reusable sensor reduces testing errors, improves measurement accuracy, and extends the life of the piezoelectric ceramic plate, making it cost-effective and practical for repeated use in civil engineering and machinery applications.
Implementation Method 1
A lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric ceramic plate (PZT) used as a sensing element due to its piezoelectric effect and dielectricity
Data Source
AI summary
A reusable piezoelectric sensor for damage identification includes a piezoelectric ceramic plate and a metal box bonded to the surface of a test piece, where a wire through hole is formed in the center of a top plate of the metal box, and a side wall of the metal box extends vertically upwards to form a striking face for being struck to remove the metal box from the test piece; the piezoelectric ceramic plate arranged in the metal box is closely and fixedly bonded to a bottom plate of the metal box; and wires of the piezoelectric ceramic plate penetrate through the wire through hole to be connected to an external impedance analyzer. The reusable piezoelectric sensor for damage identification is easy to manufacture and convenient to operate and can effectively eliminate the testing error caused by the difference of the piezoelectric ceramic plate.