• Heusinger, Jonas V.
• Zoch, Martin
• Drossel, Welf-Guntram
• Winkler, Anja
• Mäder, Thomas
• Senf, Björn

Abstract

<p>Continuous strain measurement on fibre-reinforced structures demands mechanical sensors with superior fatigue resistance. Shape-memory alloy wires are predestined for strain sensors utilising their strong piezo-resistance. Calibration of these sensors is necessary in order to extract mechanical data. Therefore, four-point bending of glass-fibre reinforced plastic specimens with applied strain sensors and an optical reference measuring system is used to calibrate and compare shape-memory alloy sensors and standard strain gauges. The gauge factor and its standard deviation is successfully measured by this calibration method. Shape-memory alloy sensors show strain-dependent gauge factor whilst standard strain gauges show a constant strain sensitivity, both with a narrow stochastic distribution. Shape-memory alloy mechanical sensors are reliable to determine strain of fibre-reinforced structures. This offers the possibility to use them in structural health monitoring applications of such structures. Consequently, the four-point bending calibration using glass-fibre reinforced specimens represents a suitable possibility for calibration of strain sensors exposed to higher strain amplitudes.</p>

Topics

• impedance spectroscopy
• polymer
• glass
• glass
• fatigue
• wire
• shape-memory alloy