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System and Method for a Surface Strain Gauge

  • US 20130035878A1
  • Filed: 04/12/2011
  • Published: 02/07/2013
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2010
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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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:

  • 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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