Introduction

A structural component, manufactured in laminated composite material embedded with a sensor device to monitor its structural behaviour and transmit its state via wireless radio connection. The aim of the invention is both to support loads, like a common structure, and to detect the state of stress and / or deformation and / or the dynamic mechanical load and / or the temperature to which it is subjected.

Technical features

The sensor network (strain gauges or fiber optic), processing unit, radio device and energy transducer are designed in an ultra-flat scale with ultra-low power electronic components to be incorporated into the composite lamination sequence. The frame and the monitoring device are all in one. The invention can be part of a more complex host structure, as a sub-component or it can be the whole structure itself. A remote station collects and post-processes the information of one or more of these components and evaluates the level of stress and / or deformation and / or vibration of it and also of the host structure. The device is powered by a built-in circuit that transforms mechanical vibrations into electrical energy, without an external power source or battery. Facilities maintenance is usually temporary and follows scheduled maintenance cycles. The system allows continuous monitoring of itself and / or the host structure throughout its operational life without the need to put the structure off-line. TRL 4: fully functional prototype was created, experimentally validated, to be industrialized.

Possible Applications

• Composite material structures (automotive, aerospace, sporting activities);
• Monitoring of infrastructures and critical plants, smart cities, environmental sustainability and digital transition.

Advantages

• Completely autonomous system;
• Fully integrated system;
• System ready to use and without external equipment.