Title: Carbon Nanocomposite Sensor for Remote Structural Health Monitoring of Composite Pipeline

Authors: Amit Chaudhari, Dae Han Sung, Sagar M Doshi, Hongbo Dai, Erik T Thostenson

DOI: 10.33599/nasampe/s.22.0708

Abstract: Structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques have been increasingly studied in academics and applied in industries to improve the safety and reliability of structural components, such as aircraft, bridges, pipelines, and critical buildings. Conventional SHM methods normally rely on point-type sensors including metallic strain gauges, accelerometers, or displacement sensors. These sensors only cover discrete points that may not capture the formation of damage in critical areas. We have developed a distributed sensing approach using carbon nanotubes-based composite sensors to offer a scalable and customizable sensing method that can significantly enhance the coverage rate and probability of damage detection. The fundamental sensing capability is based on a piezoresistive network formed by carbon nanotubes on a carrier fabric and then formed into a composite sensing skin that is conformable to a wide range of shapes.

A dip-coating process is used to deposit carbon nanotubes to establish the conductive network on the surface of a nonwoven aramid fabric. A vacuum bagging method is then used to embed the carbon nanotube coated aramid fabric in an epoxy matrix and form a bond with the pipe. Characterization of the sensor is performed in the lab to detect axial, and bending deformations using polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe. The sensors are installed in the field on an active composite pipeline. An Arduino-based portable data acquisition system is also developed and deployed in the field to record all data. All sensor data is recorded live on an Internet of Things (IoT) based platform. This study discusses the sensors' processing and testing and their field implementation.

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Conference: SAMPE 2022

Publication Date: 2022/05/23

SKU: TP22-0000000708

Pages: 10

Price: $20.00