Electrical condition monitoring method for polymers
First Claim
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17. A degradation sensor for a polymeric structure, the sensor comprising:
- a first quantity of conductive particles dispersed in a first portion of the polymeric structure to define a conductive composite portion, the first portion comprising less than a total polymer in the structure; and
a means for communicating an electrical measurement of the conductive composite to an electrical measurement apparatus.
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Abstract
An electrical condition monitoring method utilizes measurements of electrical resistivity of an age sensor (303) made of a conductive matrix or composite disposed in a polymeric structure such as an electrical cable (301). The conductive matrix comprises a base polymer and conductive filler. The method comprises a means for communicating the resistivity to a measuring instrument (317) as a means to correlate resistivity of the conductive matrix of the polymeric structure with resistivity of an accelerated-aged conductive composite.
38 Citations
44 Claims
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17. A degradation sensor for a polymeric structure, the sensor comprising:
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a first quantity of conductive particles dispersed in a first portion of the polymeric structure to define a conductive composite portion, the first portion comprising less than a total polymer in the structure; and
a means for communicating an electrical measurement of the conductive composite to an electrical measurement apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A polymeric structure comprising:
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a degradation sensor for the polymeric structure, the sensor comprising;
a first quantity of conductive particles dispersed in a first portion of the polymeric structure to define a conductive composite portion, the first portion comprising less than a total polymer in the structure; and
a means for communicating an electrical measurement of the conductive composite to an electrical measurement apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A method of determining degradation of a first polymer, the method comprising the steps of:
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adding conductive particles to a second polymer to form a conductive composite comprising a preselected weight percent of conductive particles;
making an electrical connection with the conductive composite and measuring an electrical property of the conductive composite; and
equating the measured electrical property of the conductive composite with the electrical property of a previously-degraded sample of the conductive composite to determine the degradation of the first polymer. - View Dependent Claims (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 33, 34, 35)
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33-1. The method of claim 32 wherein the measured electrical property is electrical conductivity.
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36. A condition-sensing electrical cable comprising a combination of:
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an insulation component made of a first polymeric material; and
an age sensor comprising a first quantity of conductive particles dispersed in a second polymeric material to define a conductive composite portion disposed within the cable, and;
a means for communicating an electrical measurement of the conductive composite portion to an electrical measurement apparatus.
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37. A condition-sensing building component comprising a combination of:
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a structural portion made of a first polymeric material; and
an age sensor comprising a first quantity of conductive particles dispersed in a second polymeric material to define a conductive composite portion disposed in proximity to the structural portion, and;
a means for communicating an electrical measurement of the conductive composite portion to an electrical measurement apparatus.
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38. A condition-sensing vehicle comprising a combination of:
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a structural component made of a first polymeric material; and
an age sensor comprising a first quantity of conductive particles dispersed in a second polymeric material to define a conductive composite portion disposed in proximity to the structural component, and;
a means for communicating an electrical measurement of the conductive composite portion to an electrical measurement apparatus.
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39. A method of determining degradation of a polymer, the method comprising the steps of:
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adding conductive particles to the polymer to form a conductive composite comprising a preselected weight percent of conductive particles;
making an electrical connection with the conductive composite and measuring a reistivity of the conductive composite; and
equating the resistivity of the conductive composite with the resistivity of a previously-degraded sample of the conductive composite to determine the degradation of the polymer;
wherein a decrease in a resistivity correlates to an age degraded state of the polymer. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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Specification