A Novel Simple Method for Creation of a High-stretchable Strain Gauge Sensor Based on Graphene-Coating for Structural Health Monitoring

Structural health monitoring (SHM) using strain gauge (SG) sensors is one of the recent controversial issues in various industrial places or vehicles to detect defects and damages. Extensive attempts have been devoted to creating stretchable SGs with high sensitivity and effortlessness in fabrication. In the present study, an SG sensor based on a coating of graphene nanoparticles is investigated. The new method of sensor fabrication relies on coating graphene nanoparticles on the specimen surface. The main method of the study focuses on airbrushing nanoparticles on the specimen surface. After specimen preparation, the gauge factor, a factor that represents the sensitivity of the strain gauges’ sensors, is estimated by strain tests. The number obtained for the gauge factor is around ۵۰. The recent study also investigates the flexibility of the proposed coating in a tensile test of the coated polymer and its usage in SHM on a stiffened composite structure. For these purposes first, a polymer was tested at high strains, and secondly, the accuracy of the strain sensor is investigated for buckling detection in a stiffened composite. The results showed ۱۰۰% sensing extension in the polymer without any disconnection and buckling detection in the stiffened composite are feasible by the proposed method. .

Keywords:

Strain Gauge Sensor , Coating , Graphene , Conductive Nanoparticle , Sensitivity , flexibility.