Les matériaux composites sont de plus en plus utilisés en aéronautique. Leurs excellentes propriétés mécaniques et leur faible poids leur procurent un avantage certain par rapport aux matériaux métalliques. Ceux-ci étant soumis à diverses conditions de chargement et environnementales, ils sont susceptibles de subir plusieurs types d'endommagements, compromettant leur intégrité. Des méthodes fiables d'inspection sont donc nécessaires pour évaluer leur intégrité. Néanmoins, peu d'approches non destructives, embarquées et efficaces sont présentement utilisées. Ce travail de recherche se penche sur l'étude de l'effet de la composition des matériaux composites sur la détection et la caractérisation par ondes guidées. L'objectif du projet est de développer une approche de caractérisation mécanique embarquée permettant d'améliorer la performance d'une approche d'imagerie par antenne piézoélectrique sur des structures composites et métalliques. La contribution de ce projet est de proposer une approche embarquée de caractérisation mécanique par ultrasons qui ne requiert pas une mesure sur une multitude d'échantillons et qui est non destructive. Ce mémoire par articles est divisé en quatre parties, dont les parties deux à quatre présentent les articles publiés et soumis. La première partie présente l'état des connaissances dans la matière nécessaire à l'accomplissement de ce projet de maitrise.Les principaux sujets traités portent sur les matériaux composites, propagation d'ondes, la modélisation des ondes guidées, la caractérisation par ondes guidées et la surveillance embarquée des structures. La deuxième partie présente une étude de l'effet des propriétés mécaniques sur la performance de l'algorithme d'imagerie Excitelet. L'étude est faite sur une structure isotrope.Les résultats ont démontré que l'algorithme est sensible à l'exactitude des propriétés mécaniques utilisées dans le modèle. Cette sensibilité a également été explorée afin de développer une méthode embarquée permettant d'évaluer les propriétés mécaniques d'une structure. La troisième partie porte sur une étude plus rigoureuse des performances de la méthode de caractérisation mécanique embarquée. La précision, la répétabilité et la robustesse de la méthode sont validés à l'aide d'un simulateur par FEM.Les propriétés estimées avec l'approche de caractérisation sont à moins de 1% des propriétés utilisées dans le modèle, ce qui rivalise avec l'incertitude des méthodes ASTM. L'analyse expérimentale s'est avérée précise et répétable pour des fréquences sous les 200 kHz, permettant d'estimer les propriétés mécaniques à moins de 1% des propriétés du fournisseur. La quatrième partie a démontré la capacité de l'approche de caractérisation à identifier les propriétés mécaniques d'une plaque composite orthotrope.Les résultats estimés expérimentalement sont inclus dans les barres d'incertitude des propriétés estimées à l'aide des tests ASTM. Finalement, une simulation FEM a démontré la précision de l'approche avec des propriétés mécaniques à moins de 4 % des propriétés du modèle simulé.

Les techniques d'imagerie développées pour la surveillance embarquée des structures ont maintenant des applications dans d'autres domaines. Par exemple, le domaine de l'écran tactile est en pleine expansion et de nouvelles technologies commencent à apparaître pour des applications spécifiques. Au niveau médical, des surfaces tactiles pouvant fournir des données sur la répartition du poids et la posture seraient une avancée pour le diagnostique des patients et la recherche. L'écran tactile est une technologie utilisée dans un nombre croissant d'appareils. Les écrans tactiles capacitifs et résistifs dominent le marché, mais ils sont connus pour être difficiles à fabriquer, facilement cassables et coûteux pour les grandes dimensions. Par conséquent, de nouvelles technologies sont encore explorées pour les écrans tactiles de grandes tailles et robustes. Les technologies candidates comprennent des approches basées sur les ondes. Parmi eux, des ondes guidées sont de plus en plus utilisés dans la surveillance des structures (SHM) pour de nombreuses applications liées à la caractérisation des propriétés des matériaux. Les techniques d'imagerie utilisées en SHM telles que Embedded Ultrasonic Structural Radar (EUSR) et Excitelet sont fiables, mais elles ont souvent besoin d'être couplées avec du traitement d'image pour donner de bons résultats. Dans le domaine du NDT (essais non destructifs), les ondes guidées permettent d'analyser les structures sans les détériorer. Dans ces applications, les algorithmes d'imagerie doivent pouvoir fonctionner en temps réel. Pour l'écran tactile, une technique d'imagerie de la pression en temps réel doit être développée afin d'être efficace et performante. Il faut obtenir la position et l'amplitude de la pression appliquée en un ou plusieurs points sur une surface. C'est ici que les algorithmes et l'expertise par rapport aux ondes guidées seront mises de l'avant tout pensant à l'optimisation des calculs afin d'obtenir une image en temps réel. Pour la méthodologie, différents algorithmes d'imagerie sont utilisés pour obtenir des images de déformation d'un matériau et leurs performances sont comparées en termes de temps de calcul et de précision. Ensuite, plusieurs techniques de traitement d'images ont été implantées pour comparer le temps de calcul en regard de la précision dans les images. Pour l'écran tactile, un prototype est conçu avec un programme optimisé et les algorithmes offrant les meilleures performances pour un temps de calcul réduit. Pour la sélection des composantes électroniques, ce sont la vitesse d'exécution et la définition d'image voulues qui permettent d'établir le nombre d'opérations par seconde nécessaire.

Remote Wireless Monitoring Systems have made a large impact in the area of Structural Health Monitoring. However in the specialized sub-field of Substructural Health Monitoring, remote monitoring techniques have not made as much headway. First, monitoring systems are often retrofitted onto a structure. Therefore it is much harder to retrofit the substructure of a bridge or building. Second, many foundation elements such as driven piles or auger-cast piles are constructed in a way that makes installation difficult or can severely damage the sensing materials. This thesis presents two case studies of Remote Monitoring Systems for Substructural Health Monitoring applications that were carried out by the Geotechnical Research Department of The University of South Florida. The first is a thermal monitoring system for a Voided Shaft study. The second is a thermal, construction load, and ongoing health monitoring system of the St. Anthony Falls Bridge in Minnesota. Results show that the systems that were used provide adequate data collection, data storage, and data transmission. Furthermore, this data is easily analyzed and provided for public or private use on a dedicated website, which provides a fully automated and remote Substructural Health Monitoring System.

Airframe assemblers have long recognised that for a new aircraft to be successful it must use less fuel, have lower maintenance requirements, and be more affordable. One common tactic is the use of innovative materials, such as advanced composites. Composite materials are suited to structural connection by adhesive bonding, which minimises the need for inefficient mechanical fastening. The aim of this PhD project was to investigate the application of existing, yet immature Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) techniques to adhesively bonded composite aerospace structures. The PhD study focused on two emerging SHM technologies - frequency response and comparative vacuum monitoring (CVM). This project aimed to provide missing critical information for each technique. This included determining sensitivity to damage, repeatability of results, and operating limitations for the frequency response method. Study of the CVM technique aimed to address effectiveness of damage detection, manufacture of sensor cavities, and the influence of sensor integration on mechanical performance of bonded structures. Experimental research work is presented examining the potential of frequency response techniques for the detection of debonding in composite-to-composite external patch repairs. Natural frequencies were found to decrease over a discrete frequency range as the debond size increased; confirming that such features could be used to both detect and characterise damage. The effectiveness of the frequency response technique was then confirmed for composite patch and scarf repair specimens for free-free and fixed-fixed boundary conditions. Finally, the viability of the frequency response technique was assessed for a scarf repair of a real aircraft component, where it was found that structural damping limited the maximum useable frequency. The feasibility of CVM technique for the inspection of co-cured stiffener-skin aircraft structures was explored. The creation of sensor cavities with tapered mandrels was found to significantly alter the microstructure of the stiffener, including crimping and waviness of fibres and resin-rich zones between plies. Representative stiffened-skin structure with two sensor cavity configurations (parallel and perpendicular to the stiffener direction) was tested to failure in tension and compression. While tensile failure strength was significantly reduced for both configurations (up to 25%), no appreciable differences in compression properties were found. Two potential sensor cavity configurations were investigated for the extension of the CVM technique to pre-cured and co-bonded scarf repair schemes. The creation of radial and circumferential CVM sensor cavities was found to significantly alter the microstructure of the adhesive bond-line and the architecture of the repair material in the case of the co-bonded repair. These alterations changed the failure mode and reduced the tensile failure strength of the repair. A fibre straightening mechanism responsible for progressive failure (specific to co-bonded repairs with circumferential cavities) was identified, and subsequently supported with acoustic emission testing and numerical analysis. While fatigue performance was generally reduced by the presence of CVM cavities, the circumferential cavities appeared to retard crack progression, reducing sensitivity to the accumulation of fatigue damage. These outcomes have brought forward the implementation of SHM in bonded composite structures, which has great potential to improve the operating efficiency of next generation aircraft.

Les matériaux composites de haute performance à base de fibres de carbone sont de plus en plus utilisés dans des secteurs où la sécurité est critique (aéronautique, spatial, génie civil...). Ces matériaux offrent des performances mécaniques très élevées, par rapport à leur densité (légèreté, rigidité...). Ils offrent de nombreux avantages tels que la résistance mécanique, la réduction de masse et de consommation. Par conséquent, il est important de connaître Les caractéristiques du matériau lors de son processus d'élaboration (durcissement ou cuisson) ou lors de son utilisation. Dans le but d'optimiser l'utilisation ou de contrôler l'intégrité, les efforts sont employés à l'aide de plusieurs techniques pour surveiller le cycle de cuisson ou la santé des structures composites lors du conditionnement et en service. Au-delà des méthodes existantes de mesure unique de la résistance ou de la capacité du matériau, nous présentons ici une technique d'analyse d'impédance électrique afin d'extraire certaines propriétés spécifiques du matériau (résistance, capacité, Impédance et argument) dans le but de connaître son comportement. La micro structure du matériau étant faite de conducteur (fibre de carbone) et d'isolant (résine), un modèle de la conduction électrique a été établi en utilisant un réseau de résistance (RP) et de capacité (CP) parallèles d'impédance caractéristique Z. Puis le matériau est instrumenté à cœur à l'aide d'électrodes minces et flexibles (flex). Ensuite, une analyse de spectroscopie d'impédance est réalisée sur des échantillons en cycle de cuisson et en poste cuisson lors des tests mécaniques grâce un banc de mesure spécifiquement développé. Les résultats de l'analyse renseignent sur les propriétés intrinsèques du matériau et montrent une sensibilité de ces propriétés électriques (RP et CP ou Z et θ) en fonction de l'évolution du cycle et des tests mécaniques. Il est donc possible de faire le Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) ou mieux encore le Prognostics and health management (PHM). / The high-performance composite materials based on carbon fiber are increasingly used in critical security areas (aeronautics and civil engineering) for the high mechanical performances as regards to their low density. They offer many benefits such as mechanical strength, mass and consumption reduction. Thus, it is important to know their characteristics during curing process or their use. With the aim to optimize their use or to control their integrity, efforts are employed by using several techniques to monitor their curing cycle or the health of the structures during the conditioning stage and the service stage. Beyond the existing methods of unique measurement of the resistance or the capacitance of the material, we present herein a technique of electrical impedance analysis to extract some specific material properties (resistance, capacitance, Impedance and argument) in order to know its behavior. As the microstructure of the material contains a conductor part (carbon fiber) and an insulator part (resin), a three-dimensional (3D) model of the electrical conduction in the material was established by using a network of a resistance RP connected in parallel with a capacitance CP (impedance Z) to describe the anisotropy of the material. Then, the thin flexible electrodes (flex) are inserted inside the material and the specific impedance measurement bench is developed to perform a real-time measurement of RP and CP or Z and θ. Spectroscopic impedance analysis of the studied samples informs about the intrinsic properties of material and shows a sensitivity of these electrical properties according to the curing cycle. Then the sensitivity to some physical parameters (temperature, deformations, etc.) will be demonstrated in order to provide necessary elements to know or predict the health of the material for SHM (Structural Health Monitoring) and PHM (Prognostics and health management) purpose.

This research investigates the implementation of battery-less RFID sensing platforms inside lossy media, such as, concrete and grout. Both concrete and novel grouts can be used for nuclear plant decommissioning as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) cleanup projects. Our research examines the following: (1) material characterization, (2) analytical modeling of transmission and propagation losses inside lossy media, (3) maximum operational range of RFID wireless sensors embedded inside concrete and grout, and (4) best positioning of antennas for achieving longer communication range between RFID antennas and wireless sensors. Our research uses the battery-less Wireless Identification and Sensing Platform (WISP) which can be used to monitor temperature, and humidity inside complex materials. By using a commercial Agilent open-ended coaxial probe (HP8570B), the measurements of the dielectric permittivity of concrete and grout are performed. Subsequently, the measured complex permittivity is used to formulate analytical Debye models. Also, the transmission and propagation losses of a uniform plane wave inside grout are calculated. Our results show that wireless sensors will perform better in concrete than grout. In addition, the maximum axial and radial ranges for WISP are experimentally determined. Our work illustrates the feasibility of battery-less wireless sensors that are embedded inside concrete and grout. Also, our work provides information that can be used to optimize the power management, sampling rate, and antenna design of such sensors.

<div><p>Carbon fibre reinforced polymers (CFRPs) are extensively used in aerospace, automotive and other weight-conscious applications for their high strength-to-weight ratio. Utilization of these lightweight materials unfortunately also involves dealing with damages unlike those seen in traditional monolithic materials. This includes invisible, below-the-surface damages such as matrix cracking, delaminations, fibre breakage, etc. that are difficult to spot outwardly in their early stages. Robust methods of damage detection and health monitoring are hence important. With the intention of avoiding weight addition to the structure to monitor its usability, it would be desirable to utilize an inherent property of these materials, such as its electrical conductivity, as an indicator of damage to render the material as self-sensing.</p> <p>To this end, electrical impedance tomography (EIT) has been explored for damage detection and health monitoring in self-sensing materials due to its ability to spatially localize damage via non-invasive electrical measurements.</p> <p>Presently, EIT has been applied mainly to materials possessing lesser electrical anisotropy than is encountered in CFRPs (e.g. nanofiller-modified polymers and cements), with experimental setups involving electrodes placed at the edges of plates. The inability of EIT to effectively tackle electrical anisotropy limits its usage in CFRP structures. Moreover, most real structures of complex geometries lack well-defined edges on which electrodes can be placed. Therefore, in this thesis, we confront these limitations by presenting a study into the effect of EIT sensitivity matrix formulation and surface-mounted electrodes on damage detection and localization in CFRPs.</p> <p>In this work, the conductivity is modeled as being anisotropic, and the sensitivity matrix is formed using three approaches – with respect to i) a scalar multiple of the conductivity tensor, ii) the in-plane conductivity, and iii) the through-thickness conductivity. It was found that through-hole damages can be adeptly identified with a combination of surface-mounted electrodes and a sensitivity matrix formed with respect to either a scalar multiple of the conductivity tensor or the in-plane conductivity. This theory was first validated on a CFRP plate to detect a single through-hole damage. Furthermore, EIT was also used to successfully detect both through-hole and impact damages on a non-planar airfoil shaped structure.</p> <p>Singular value decomposition (SVD) analysis revealed that the rank of the sensitivity matrix is not affected by the conductivity term with respect to which the sensitivity matrix is formed. The results presented here are an important step towards the transition of EIT based diagnostics to real-life CFRP structures.</p><p></p></div><div><div><br></div></div>

Composite materials have increasingly been used as an alternative to metals and other isotropic materials for primary structural components in aerospace industries. Unlike traditional isotropic materials, composite materials are known to have complex internal microstructures. Therefore, it is essential to develop methods for the inspection, evaluation, and monitoring of composite materials. Ultrasonic-guided waves and, more precisely, Lamb waves have proven to be an efficient and accurate technique for the non-destructive testing. Since guided waves are dispersive and multimodal, it is important to develop a practical method to manipulate Lamb waves to achieve better structural health monitoring and non-destructive inspection results. There are minimal studies involving manipulating guided waves for the inspection of composite materials. Moreover, the currently proposed methods to manipulate Lamb waves are complex and costly. The objective of this dissertation research is to offer practical and straightforward methods with a simple design to control Lamb waves using additively manufactured lenses used as superstrates on composite plates. This dissertation is organized in three major parts. Part I focuses on the Lamb wave propagation in composite plates with different lay-up and plate orientations. Finite element simulations were performed to investigate the behavior of Lamb wave propagation in different plates. A semi-finite element approach was used to derive the dispersive curves in each plate. In Part II, a lap-joint study was conducted to investigate the interaction of Lamb waves in the lap joint regions. Two different lap joints were considered, composite-aluminum and composite-plastic. In each lap joint the thickness of the top surface (aluminum or plastic) is continuously increased. In Part III, additively manufactured lenses are designed to modulate the wavefront of Lamb waves in thick composite plates. The first design is a prism-shaped lens proposed to steer Lamb waves to a targeted direction. Multiple prism designs are considered to offer a flexible steering direction by either changing the prism thickness or the wedge angle. The second design is a plano-concave shaped lens designed to focus the Lamb wave at a targeted focal point. This dissertation research will provide a clear understanding of Lamb wave propagation in anisotropic material, anisotropic-isotropic lap joints, and wavefront modulation on anisotropic material using additively manufactured lenses. This approach contributes to the development of better quality SHM for online monitoring systems.

No description available.

<p dir="ltr">The research in this thesis focuses on developing an alert system to detect damage or impact on bridge. It employs Raspberry Pi and accelerometers for real-time health monitoring. The methodology includes bridge model creation, testing under no damage, impact, and structural damage conditions, and data processing for vibration frequency analysis. The aim is to differentiate between normal bridge conditions, collisions, and structural damages, providing timely notifications for necessary investigations or repairs. The study addresses the challenges in bridge safety and aims to improve maintenance efficiency and reliability.</p><p><br></p>