System, method, and apparatus for wireless non-powered stress history and fatigue monitoring of a structure
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for analyzing stress, comprising:
- an element adapted to be mounted to a structure, the element having a material property that degrades over time due to stress cycling of the structure during service operation of the structure;
a sensor coupled to the element for detecting a condition of the property of the element, and neither the sensor nor the element have a source of power;
a detector for providing wireless power to and wirelessly communicating with the sensor to detect the condition of the property of the element and adapted to ascertain a level of fatigue and prediction of residual life of the structure, the detector being non-invasive, non-destructive, and remote relative to the element and the sensor;
whereinthe element comprises a plurality of elements, each of which has a different physical property than other ones of the elements to increase a fidelity and sensitivity to fatigue cycle prediction of the structure; and
whereina first fixture is secured to the structure, a second fixture is mounted to the structure, spaced apart from the first fixture and displaceable relative to the first fixture, and the plurality of elements extend between the first and second fixtures, and the physical property is length.
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Abstract
A wireless, non-powered fatigue monitoring sensor uses a piezoelectric element that is attached to the surface of or embedded within a structure to be monitored. When subjected to stress over time, the material properties of the element change reliably and permanently. These properties are used to determine the fatigue history of the structure. The monitoring device requires no power for monitoring and is nondestructively queried to determine the stress history using wireless means such as radio frequency technology.
28 Citations
24 Claims
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1. An apparatus for analyzing stress, comprising:
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an element adapted to be mounted to a structure, the element having a material property that degrades over time due to stress cycling of the structure during service operation of the structure; a sensor coupled to the element for detecting a condition of the property of the element, and neither the sensor nor the element have a source of power; a detector for providing wireless power to and wirelessly communicating with the sensor to detect the condition of the property of the element and adapted to ascertain a level of fatigue and prediction of residual life of the structure, the detector being non-invasive, non-destructive, and remote relative to the element and the sensor;
whereinthe element comprises a plurality of elements, each of which has a different physical property than other ones of the elements to increase a fidelity and sensitivity to fatigue cycle prediction of the structure; and
whereina first fixture is secured to the structure, a second fixture is mounted to the structure, spaced apart from the first fixture and displaceable relative to the first fixture, and the plurality of elements extend between the first and second fixtures, and the physical property is length. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A system for analyzing structural stress, comprising:
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a structure; an element mounted to the structure, the element having a material property that degrades over time due to stress cycling of the structure during service operation of the structure; a sensor coupled to the element for detecting a condition of the material property of the element, and neither the sensor nor the element have a source of power; and a detector for providing wireless power to and wirelessly communicating with the sensor to detect the condition of the material property of the element and thereby ascertain a level of fatigue and prediction of residual life of the structure, the detector being non-invasive, non-destructive, and remote relative to the element and the sensor; and
whereinthe element comprises a plurality of elements, each of which has a different physical property than other ones of the elements to increase a fidelity and sensitivity to fatigue cycle prediction of the structure;
and wherein a first fixture is secured to the structure, a second fixture is mounted to the structure, spaced apart from the first structure and displaceable relative to the first fixture, and the plurality of elements extend between the first and second fixtures and the physical property is length. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An apparatus for analyzing stress, comprising:
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a plurality of elements adapted to be mounted to a structure, each of the elements having a different property than other ones of the elements to increase a fidelity and sensitivity to fatigue cycle prediction of the structure, wherein one of the plurality of elements is sensitive to low stresses, and another one of the plurality of elements is sensitive to high stresses, and the properties degrade over time due to stress cycling of the structure during service operation of the structure; a sensor coupled to each of the elements for detecting a condition of the property of a respective one of the elements, and neither the sensors nor the elements have a source of power; and a detector for providing wireless power to and wirelessly communicating with the sensors to detect the condition of the properties of the elements and adapted to ascertain a level of fatigue and prediction of residual life of the structure, the detector being non-invasive, non-destructive, and remote relative to the elements and the sensors. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A system for analyzing structural stress, comprising:
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a structure; a plurality of elements mounted to the structure, each of which has a different length to increase a fidelity and sensitivity to fatigue cycle prediction of the structure, and the lengths change over time due to stress cycling of the structure during service operation of the structure; a first fixture is secured to the structure; a second fixture mounted to the structure, spaced apart from the first fixture and displaceable relative to the first fixture, and the plurality of elements extend between the first and second fixtures; a sensor coupled to each of the elements for detecting a condition of the lengths of the elements, and neither the sensors nor the elements have a source of power; and a detector for providing wireless power to and wirelessly communicating with the sensors to detect the condition of the lengths of the elements and thereby ascertain a level of fatigue and prediction of residual life of the structure, the detector being non-invasive, non-destructive, and remote relative to the elements and the sensors. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification