Investigation of Transient Behavior of a Cantilever Plate Based on Elastic Impact Loading History Detection Using Polyvinylidene Fluoride Film Sensors

• Published in: IEEE sensors journal Vol. 16; no. 6; pp. 1565 - 1574
• Main Authors: Chuang, Kuo-Chih, Huang, Kang-Che, Liou, Hong-Cin, Ma, Chien-Ching
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 15.03.2016; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Cantilever plates; Computer simulation; Dynamic structural analysis; Dynamics; Finite element analysis; History; Impact loading; Impact Loading History; Investigations; Loading; Loads (forces); Mode Shape; Nodal Line; Polyvinylidene fluorides; Product design; PVDF; Sensors; Steel; Transient analysis; mode shape; Impact loading history; nodal line; PVDF
• ISSN: 1530-437X; 1558-1748
• DOI: 10.1109/JSEN.2015.2497274

In this paper, we investigate elastic impact loading history detection based on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film sensors and demonstrate its applications on simulating flexible structural responses or investigating dynamic measurement performances of sensors. A pair of PVDF film sensors, bonded collocatedly on two opposite surfaces of a cantilever plate, is used to extract steel ball-generated elastic impact loadings. Impact detecting performance is first demonstrated by comparing the transient displacement responses of the cantilever plate with finite-element method (FEM) prediction based on the obtained impact loading history. Transient strain responses of the plate, also detected by the PVDF film sensors, are then compared with the FEM computation to discuss the cross-sensitivity effect (i.e., influence of the strain in orthogonal direction) of the PVDF film sensors. In addition to the comparison of the time-domain measurement results, sensing results in frequency domain are discussed with the nodal lines in the plate mode shapes. The experimental results in both time and frequency domain show that the commercial PVDF film sensors have the capability for obtaining elastic impact loading history on flexible structures that can be employed for further dynamic structural or dynamic sensing performance investigation.