Thin single-layer textile-based matrix-type pressure sensor for protective clothing

Relationship between mechanical damage and electrical degradation in polymer-supported metal films subjected to cyclic loading

Self-sensing cementitious composites are a combination of conventional materials used in the construction industry along with any type of electrically conductive filler material. Research has already been carried out with various types of conductive fillers incorporated into cement mortars to develop a self-sensing material. Carbon fibres have been used as conductive fillers in the past, which is uneconomical. In order to overcome this drawback, brass fibres have been introduced. This study concentrates on the behaviour of self-sensing mortar under two different curing conditions, including air and water curing. The main aim of this paper is to determine the self-sensing ability of various types of smart mortars. For this purpose, an experimental study was carried out, with the addition of various brass fibres of 0.10%, 0.15%, 0.20%, 0.25%, and 0.30% by volume, to determine the electrical properties of cementitious mortar. In addition, different combinations of brass and carbon fibres were considered, such as 95% brass fibre with 5% carbon fibre, 90% brass fibre with 10% carbon fibre, and 85% brass fibre with 15% carbon fibre by volume, to determine the piezoresistive behaviour. A fractional change in electrical resistance was determined for all the mortar cubes. A fractional change in electrical resistance (fcr) is defined as the change in its electrical resistance with respect to its initial resistance (ΔR/R). Additionally, the temperature effects on self-sensing mortar under compressive loading were observed for various temperatures from room temperature to 800 °C (at room temperature, 200 °C, 400 °C, 600 °C, and 800 °C). It was observed that the addition of brass fibre to the cement mortar as an electrically conductive filler improved the self-sensing ability of the mortar. After 28 days of water curing, when compared to conventional mortar, the percentage increase in change in electrical resistance (fcr) was observed to be 26.00%, 26.87%, 27.87%, 38.55%, and 35.00% for 0.10%, 0.15%, 0.20%, 0.25%, and 0.30% addition of brass fibres, respectively. When the smart mortar was exposed to elevated temperatures, the compressive strength of the mortar was reduced. Additionally, the fractional change in electrical resistance values was also reduced with the increase in temperature. In addition to this, the self-sensing ability of smart mortars showed improved performance in water curing rather than in air-cured mortars. Compressive strengths, stress, strain, and change in electrical resistance (fcr) values were determined in this study. Finally, microstructural analysis was also performed to determine the surface topography and chemical composition of the mortar with different fibre combinations.

Electrical resistance change measurements were performed, to detect fatigue damage of a quasi-isotropic CFRP and cross-ply CFRP laminates. A four-probe method was used to measure the exact electrical resistance change. A three-probe method was used to measure the electrical contact resistance change, during long cyclic loading. The specimen side surface was observed using a video-microscope to detect damage. The measured electrical resistance changes were compared with the observed damage. The results of this study show that the electrical resistance increase of the quasi-isotropic laminate was caused by a delamination crack between <TEX>${\pm}45^{\circ}$</TEX> plies. Matrix cracking caused a small electrical resistance increase of the cross-ply laminate, but the decreased electrical resistance caused by the shear-plastic deformation impedes matrix-cracking detection.

Structural health monitoring of scarf bonded repaired glass/epoxy laminates interleaved with carbon non-woven veil

A method which monitors the changes in electrical resistance in CFGFRP (carbon‐fiber–glass‐fiber‐reinforced plastics) composites was found to be a promising technique for foreseeing fractures and preventing fatal ones. CFGFRP composites containing two types of carbon fibers along with 31.6 vol% glass fibers were used. U‐shaped copper electrodes were attached to both ends of the CFGFRP composites, using a conductive adhesive agent, and electrical resistance was measured via a two‐thermal dc method. A strain gauge was attached onto a specimen to measure strain. On loading, the changes in electrical resistance increased linearly with increasing strain, and the value reached 38% for the CFGFRP composites containing 0.36 vol% PAN‐based high‐strength carbon fibers. A tremendous change in electrical resistance was seen for the CFGFRP composites containing 0.38 vol% pitch‐based high‐property carbon fibers, and the composites could maintain their shape owing to a hybrid effect after the carbon fibers fractured. The change in electrical resistance can be controlled through suitable selection of the type of carbon fibers according to their values of ultimate elongation. Permanent, residual electrical resistance was found to remain, and the changes in resistance were dependent on the maximum previous strain.

On the contribution of carbon nanotube deformation to piezoresistivity of carbon nanotube/polymer composites

To enable the smart monitoring of crack sensing in reinforced concrete structures using self-sensing cementitious sensors (SSCSs), this study quantified crack information based on changes in the electrical signals of SSCS. The location of cracks was evaluated based on changes in the electrical signals of SSCS. Following this, for the first time, a crack sensing was conducted by embedding an SSCS array into the reinforced concrete pipes. Based on external load tests, both failure tests and cyclic loading tests were conducted on reinforced concrete pipes. The empirical model for crack width was established based on the fractional change in peak electrical resistivity (FCR P ) and the external load amplitude. The experimental results indicated: (1) the farther the crack was from the SSCS, the smaller the influence on the electrical signal changes of the SSCS. Therefore, the distance of the crack from the SSCS could be estimated by analyzing the changes in the fractional change in electrical resistivity (FCR); (2) for reinforced concrete pipes with existing cracks, both the FCR P and the residual FCR of the SSCS increased as the crack width and the amplitude of cyclic loading increased. These parameters could serve as indicators to determine whether a specific section of the concrete pipe has developed cracks; (3) an empirical model for crack width was developed based on the FCR P and the load amplitude. The proposed empirical model could effectively reflect the crack width in the concrete pipes by using the FCR P values from the SSCS array and the external load amplitude. This study presents a novel method for leakage monitoring in underground concrete pipes using an SSCS array, laying the foundation for their future application in underground concrete pipes.

A textile electrochemical sensor manufactured with commercially available textile materials is presented to determine glucose concentration. The sensor design consists of three electrodes manufactured with two different conductive yarns, one made with a silver coating and the other with stainless steel fibres. Different combinations of them are used to prepare three different electrochemical textile sensor combinations. The first sensor is built only with silver-coated yarn and used as a reference sensor. The other two sensors are prepared with different combinations of conductive yarns. The textile sensors perform a cyclic voltammetric test, where it is demonstrated that the glucose concentration over the sensor can be related with the increase in the current measured. The results allow us to identify feeding voltages where the concentration-current relation is close to linear. The textile sensor shows a sensitivity between 0.0145 and 0.0452 μA/(mg/dL) for the 45-180 mg/dL glucose concentration range and 0.0012 and 0.0035 μA/(mg/dL) for the 180-1800 mg/dL range for the different sensor types presented. The regression coefficients for the sensitivities range between 0.9266 and 0.9954. This research demonstrates the feasibility to develop a fully integrated textile electrochemical sensor made completely with commercially available textile materials.

The measurement of small changes in resistance, caused in metal wires by non-equilibrium point defects, meets with many difficulties caused inter alia by changes in temperature, instability of the voltage source and irreversible changes in the electric resistance due to the thermal treatment of the samples. In the first part of the paper, dealing with the d-c bridge method of measurement, the conditions under which the relations given in the literature can be used for calculating small changes in resistance are quantitatively determined on the basis of a detailed analysis of such relations. The second part describes a method of measurement permitting the elimination of irreversible changes in the resistance of thermally treated samples and relations are derived for calculating reversible changes.

In this study, free-standing graphene foam (GF) was developed by a three-step method: (1) vacuum-assisted dip-coating of nickel foam (Ni-F) with graphene oxide (GO), (2) reduction of GO to reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and then (3) etching out the nickel scaffold. Pure GF samples were tested for their morphology, chemistry, and mechanical integrity. GF mimics the microstructure of Ni-F while individual bones of GF were hollow, because of the complete removal of nickel. The GF-PDMS composites were tested for their ability to sense both compressive and bending strains in the form of change in electrical resistance. The composite showed different sensitivity to bending and compression. Upon applying a 30% compressive strain on the GF-PDMS composite, its resistance increased to ∼120% of its original value. Similarly, bending a sample to a radius of 1 mm caused the composite to change its resistance to ∼52% of its original resistance value. The relative change in resistance of the composite by an applied pressure/strain can be tuned to considerably different values by heat-treating the GF at different temperatures prior to infusing PDMS into its scaffold. Upon heat treating the GF at 800 °C prior to PDMS infusion, the GF-PDMS demonstrated ∼10 times better sensitivity than the untreated sample for a compressive strain of 20%. The composite was also tested for its ability to retain a change in electrical resistance when a brief load/strain is applied. The GF-PDMS composite was tested for at least 500 cycles under compressive cyclic loading and showed good electromechanical durability. Finally, it was demonstrated that the composite can be used to measure human blood pressure when attached to human skin.

This paper presents the results of an experimental study designed to evaluate the effect of repeated stretching cycles on the electrical resistance change in a NiTi alloy wire. In particular, tests were carried out to determine the effect of the type of loading on resistance change in the investigated wires. Wires with a diameter of 100 μm were used in the research. The experiment was carried out on a dedicated test stand designed for this purpose. During the test, the samples were subjected to 40 identical tensile cycles. The electrical resistance, sample elongation, and tensile force during successive stretching cycles were measured. The conducted research demonstrated the impact of elongation and reorientation of the structure on the resistance change in NiTi alloy thin wires. The research included a comparison of the effect of two different types of loading on the electrical resistance change in the sample. During cyclic stretching of a NiTi alloy sample with constant displacement, a decrease in electrical resistance was observed after each successive stretching cycle. Alternatively, when stretching with a constant force, the value of electrical resistance increased. In both types of loads, the greatest change in resistance value was observed at the initial cycles.

In this study, the synergistic effect created by adding Graphene (GE) nanoplatelets and carbon black (CB) fillers to the rubber matrix was used to determine the high stretchable sensor properties. GE and CB-filled rubber nanocomposite (HcN) strain sensors have been shown to detect and trace crack initiation and crack propagation of different sizes under cyclic loading. Tests were performed with four different crack sizes (0, 2.5, 5, and 10 mm) at five different strain levels (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) to determine the strain sensing performance of the specimens. The electrical response of HcNs under loading was measured with the four-point probe technique and recorded with a high-performance data acquisition system. The progression of external cracks created by scalpel on HcNs was examined by measuring electrical resistance changes caused by cyclic strain loading between 0% and 20%. The electrical response of 4 phr and 8 phr filled HcNs behaved qualitatively similar to each other, while 1 phr filled HcNs showed a significantly different response in terms of quality and quantity. In 4 phr GE-filled specimens, the resistance increase was changed steadily depending on the crack length, and unstable conditions occurred at 5 and 10 mm crack lengths at 1 and 8 phr GE filler ratios. The flexible and stretchable elastomer-based conductive strain sensing sensors, developed with the synergistic interaction of well-dispersed carbon-based fillers in the matrix, can detect and record damaged conditions caused by cyclic loading in many application areas.

CFGFRP (carbon fiber-glass fiber-reinforced plastics) composites are materials with a self-diagnostic function for detecting latent damage. Three type of carbon fiber bundles with different ultimate elongations and one type of glass fiber bundle with a large ultimate elongation were tested as conductive fibers and insulating fibers, respectively. Electrical resistance increased with increasing strain, and a tremendous change was seen at the transition point where the carbon fiber bundles fractured. Data obtained by the acoustic emission method were measured simultaneously, and these changes showed results similar to changes in the electrical resistance. Permanent, residual strain and residual electrical resistance were observed even after the removal of load, and these changes were dependent on the maximum strain applied in the past. Latent damage of CFGFRP composites can be detected by a method based on the measurement of their changes in residual electrical resistance after unloading. The method based on measuring changes in the electrical resistance of the CFGFRP composites during and after loading is simple in terms of technique and manageable in terms of cost for detecting latent damage and preventing fatal fracture.

Electrical resistance changes of 3D carbon fiber/epoxy woven composites under short beam shear loading along different orientations

An electro-mechanical degradation model is developed to evaluate the electronic and mechanical reliability performance of metal films due to fatigue accumulation. The model establishes the relationship between electrical resistivity and damage, which can be used to predict the change in electrical resistivity and damage evolution of metal films under fatigue loading. Based on the developed model, fatigue damage evolution and change in electrical resistivity simulation of metal films can be implemented to evaluate the electronic and mechanical reliability performance of metal films for the condition where the stress/strain level is heterogeneous. As a case study, fatigue damage evolution and change in electrical resistivity of a copper film on flexible substrate under cyclic loading is numerical analyzed and compared with experiment. It shows that the electro-mechanical degradation model and implemented simulation are effective, and can be used to evaluate the electronic and mechanical reliability performance of metal films due to fatigue accumulation reasonably.