On 3D printed meta-structure-based functional prototype as an innovative solution for repair and online health monitoring of heritage structures

Abstract

• Dual-material 3D-printed meta -structure of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)-graphene (Gr)-Mn-doped ZnO and PVDF-CaCO 3. • Repair and health monitoring solution for non-structural cracks in heritage buildings. • Effect of joint length and angle of meta -structure for acceptable electrical and mechanical properties. • 3D printed IoT-based solution for a repaired crack of heritage structures. In the recent past, some studies have been reported on the internet of things (IoT) based 3D printed solutions for heritage structure health monitoring (HSHM). But hitherto little has been reported on dual-material 3D-printed meta -structure-inspired IoT-based solutions, to assist HSHM (in form of varying modulus of toughness (MoT), strain hardening coefficient, stiffness to accommodate the seismic changes, weathering effect, etc.). This study reports the dual-material 3D-printed meta -structure of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)-6%graphene (Gr)-3%Mn-doped ZnO and PVDF-6%CaCO 3 composite as a repair and health monitoring solution (operatable in industry scientific medicine (ISM) band using Bluetooth application). The mechanical properties and sensing features (of dual-material 3D-printed sandwich meta -structure) were tested for the HSHM. The results highlighted that tri-hexagonal meta -structure is one of the acceptable solutions for the fabrication of 3D printed functional prototypes for online HSHM. For the proposed tri-hexagonal meta -structure, return loss (S 11 ) 2.51 GHz, MoT (0.94GPa), and strain hardening coefficient (78.55 MPa) were observed, and correspondingly the effect of joint length and angle was also explored.