| Abstract Scope |
Composite materials have become increasingly important in engineering structures such as spacecraft, airplanes, automobiles, boats, bridges, and buildings due to their significant characteristics such as strength, stiffness, fatigue resistance, lightweight, and low thermal expansion. These composite structures may experience damage due to mechanical and environmental loading during operation. Hence, damage detection and health monitoring of the composite structures are very crucial and indispensable for enhancing the safety and durability of these structures. Sensors and sensor arrays are deployed to detect damage detection and monitoring of structural health. Traditional sensors mainly relying on an external power supply/battery have many limitations in terms of flexibility, shape adaptability, and sensitivity.
Notably, flexoelectricity is an emergent electro-mechanical phenomenon that can be found in all dielectrics due to inhomogeneous deformation, i.e., strain gradients. Furthermore, additive manufacturing/3D printing technology is becoming an increasingly popular method for generating complex 3D geometry using computers. In this context, we present the design and fabrication of a flexible, and shape-adaptable 3D printed flexoelectric sensor based on soft elastomeric polymer. The proposed flexoelectric sensors are expected to exhibit outstanding mechano-electrical sensitivity without the need for batteries or external power supplies. We investigate the capabilities of the flexoelectric sensors in detecting different types of damages in composite structures from early stage to progression and to finally catastrophic failure, Thus, the new class of sensor technology can provide notable and fascinating information on damage state in-situ in self-powered mode, stepping toward the advanced structural health monitoring applications. |