Evaluation of the Pencil Lead Break Method for Sensitivity Assessment of Piezoelectric Transducers Applied in the Electromechanical Impedance Technique

• Grant number: 13/16434-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: January 01, 2014
• End date: June 30, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Electrical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Fabricio Guimarães Baptista
• Grantee: Vinicius Augusto Dare de Almeida
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia (FE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In recent decades, piezoelectric transducers have been employed in an important and promising application: the structural health monitoring (SHM). The aim of such systems is to detect structural damage at an early stage, providing a high level of safety and reducing maintenance costs. Among the various SHM techniques that use these devices, the electromechanical (E/M) impedance technique stands out for its simplicity, because due to the piezoelectric effect, the mechanical condition of the host structure can be analyzed by simply measuring the electrical impedance of the transducer.The objective of this research project is the analysis and characterization of low cost piezoelectric transducers. Although the E/M impedance technique has been studied for several decades, some practical problems still hinder its application efficiently, including the characterization of transducers. The proper characterization allows not only the correct sizing of transducers for maximum sensitivity in detection of damage but also enhances the reliability of the entire system, which is essential in critical structures, such as in aircrafts. During the project, various transducers will be analyzed and compared both experimentally and theoretically by developing appropriate electromechanical models.The activities proposed here are related to the research project already approved by FAPESP (Proc. 2012/10825-4) titled "Piezoelectric Transducers Applied in the Structural Health Monitoring: Design and Temperature Effects Compensation".

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DARE DE ALMEIDA, VINICIUS AUGUSTO; BAPTISTA, FABRICIO GUIMARAES; DE AGUIAR, PAULO ROBERTO. Piezoelectric Transducers Assessed by the Pencil Lead Break for Impedance-Based Structural Health Monitoring. IEEE SENSORS JOURNAL, v. 15, n. 2, p. 693-702, FEB 2015. (13/16434-0, 12/10825-4)

DARE DE ALMEIDA, VINICIUS AUGUSTO; BAPTISTA, FABRICIO GUIMARAES. An Experimental Assessment of PZT Patches for Impedance-Based SHM Applications. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL ON SMART SENSING AND INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, v. 7, n. 5, p. 5-pg., 2014-12-01. (13/16434-0, 12/10825-4)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

ALMEIDA, Vinicius Augusto Dare de. Avaliação do método da quebra do grafite para estimação da sensibilidade de transdutores piezelétricos utilizados na técnica da Impedância Eletromecânica. 2015. Master's Dissertation - Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Faculdade de Engenharia. Bauru Bauru.