System and Method for a Surface Strain Gauge
First Claim
1. A smart surface strain gauge integrated into the surface of a structure for sensing real time strain and or cumulative damage of said structure characterised by:
- an array comprising one or more separately addressable sheets and or fibre elements of carbon fibre reinforced epoxy (CFRE) or of carbon fibre reinforced epoxy matrix composite linked together, and or a material having similar resistance changing properties whereineach of said separate sheets and or fibre elements being connected to one or more other sheets and or to one or more other fibre elements andthe electrical resistance of said carbon fibre reinforced epoxy (CFRE) or of carbon fibre reinforced epoxy matrix composite, or said other material having similar resistance changing properties, changing reversibly with tension and or compression, andeach of said separate sheets and or fibre elements comprising a separately addressable microcontroller being connected to a power supply and to a central bus linking to a central system controller, and further acting as a smart strain gauge sensor of said structure, andeach of said separate sheets and or fibre elements comprising one or more control points controlled by said microcontroller, andmeans for sensing real time strain and or cumulative damage of said structure, andmeans for providing said measurement data to a central system controller for determiningchanges in resistance in one or more of said separate sheets and or one or more of said separate fibre elements while said structure is under load, and ora measure of the rate of development of fatigue of said structure with time.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for a surface strain gauge is described which has direct application to wind turbine structures and wind turbine blades and wind turbine struts. The invention is equally applicable to other airfoil structures such as aircraft wings and aircraft fuselages. The strain gauge comprises an array of carbon fibre material integrated with one or more microcontroller modules wherein the entire array may be incorporated into the surface of the structure to be monitored during manufacture of the structure. The array comprises separate sheets of carbon fibre reinforced epoxy which are linked together and which each comprise a separately addressable element such as a microcontroller wherein the microcontrollers are connected to a power supply and to a central bus which itself links to a central system controller. Differential measurements of the resistance of separate carbon fibre reinforced epoxy sheets may be determined in real time as well as the resistance between two or more sheets. In this way real time dynamic load monitoring can be performed and compared with original values determined at time of manufacture to provide data on fatigue of the structure with time before damage and failure occurs.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. A smart surface strain gauge integrated into the surface of a structure for sensing real time strain and or cumulative damage of said structure characterised by:
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an array comprising one or more separately addressable sheets and or fibre elements of carbon fibre reinforced epoxy (CFRE) or of carbon fibre reinforced epoxy matrix composite linked together, and or a material having similar resistance changing properties wherein each of said separate sheets and or fibre elements being connected to one or more other sheets and or to one or more other fibre elements and the electrical resistance of said carbon fibre reinforced epoxy (CFRE) or of carbon fibre reinforced epoxy matrix composite, or said other material having similar resistance changing properties, changing reversibly with tension and or compression, and each of said separate sheets and or fibre elements comprising a separately addressable microcontroller being connected to a power supply and to a central bus linking to a central system controller, and further acting as a smart strain gauge sensor of said structure, and each of said separate sheets and or fibre elements comprising one or more control points controlled by said microcontroller, and means for sensing real time strain and or cumulative damage of said structure, and means for providing said measurement data to a central system controller for determining changes in resistance in one or more of said separate sheets and or one or more of said separate fibre elements while said structure is under load, and or a measure of the rate of development of fatigue of said structure with time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for sensing real time strain and cumulative damage of a structure by a smart surface strain gauge in carbon fibre reinforced epoxy (CFRE) or carbon fibre epoxy matrix composite integrated with or into the surface of said structure, said method comprising the steps of:
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forming an array comprising separately addressable sheets and or fibre elements of carbon fibre reinforced epoxy (CFRE) or of carbon fibre reinforced epoxy (CFRE) matrix composite linked together, or a material having similar resistance changing properties wherein each of said separate sheets and or fibre elements being connected in series to one or more other sheets and or fibre elements and the electrical resistance of said carbon fibre reinforced epoxy (CFRE) matrix composite changing reversibly upon tension and or compression, and connecting each of said separate sheets and or fibre elements comprising a separately addressable microcontroller to a power supply and to a central bus linking to a central system controller, and controlling one or more control points of each of said separate sheets and or fibre elements by said microcontroller, and sensing real time strain and cumulative damage of said structure by said array acting as a smart sensor across said structure surface and or throughout said structure, and providing said measurement data to a central system controller and determining changes in resistance across different parts of said structure while said structure is under load, and or the onset of fatigue of said structure with time. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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Specification