Development of piezoelectric acoustic sensors and bio-inspired embedded sensor array architecture for structural health monitoring

This paper looks at developing novel piezoelectric acoustic sensors, which are capable of sensing high frequency acoustic emissions and impact in a composite/metallic plate. The fabrication of the piezoelectric acoustic sensors made from piezoceramic ribbons would be described in details. An attempt was made to build directionality into the sensing system itself. Continuous sensors placed at right angles on a plate are being discussed as a new approach to measure and locate the source of acoustic waves. Novel signal processing algorithms based on bioinspired neural systems for spatial filtering of large numbers of embedded sensor arrays in laminated composite media is presented. It is expected that this present work would help in development of sensing techniques for highly efficient health monitoring of integrated aerospace vehicles and structures.