| Abstract Scope |
Self-sensing means a structural material sensing itself without sensor incorporation. Inductance-based structural self-sensing is reported, as shown for aluminum (6061-T6). The inductance increases monotonically with increasing shape complexity (increasing the number of bends at a fixed radius of curvature), which in general increases upon bending, squashing, smashing or undulating. The sensing of shape complexity change differs from the widely reported strain sensing. The apparent resistivity also increases with the number of bends, but the fractional increase in the apparent resistivity (e.g., 5%) is lower than the fractional increase in the inductance (e.g., 28%). The increase in inductance is in accordance with Faraday’s Law, whereas the minor increase in apparent resistivity is attributed to the increase in inductance and the interplay between inductance and resistance. The specimen inductance in the state of no bending is attributed to the stray inductance. The sensitivity for the bending diminishes with increasing number of bends. |