Process-Integrated Manufacturing and Embedding of Novel Piezoelectric Sensor Modules into Glass Fibre-Reinforced Polyurethane Composite Structures

Abstract

Due to an increasing use of composite materials in various applications and related open questions concerning structural health monitoring and damage detection, the realisation of function integrating lightweight structures with sensory properties is subject of numerous research activities. Main objective is the transfer of already in laboratory and prototype scale established methods for the integration of sensory elements on serial applications. Here, combining the previously separated processing steps sensor manufacturing, component manufacturing and sensor integration can help to make a significant step forwards. Therefore, as part of the activities in the Collaborative Research Centre/Transregio (CRC/TR) 39, a highly productive spray coat method based on the long fibre injection (LFI) process is developed, which allows the process-integrated manufacturing and embedding of novel piezoelectric sensor modules into fibre-reinforced polyurethane composite structures.Based on studies on the technological implementation of the newly developed process, theoretical and experimental studies for contacting and polarisation of the novel sensor elements are presented. In addition, the characterisation of the adhesion properties of thermoplastic films on the used fibre-reinforced polyurethane composites is part of the presented research to evaluate the possibility of integrating thermoplastic-compatible piezo modules for actuator applications.