Campus Units
Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Center for Nondestructive Evaluation (CNDE)
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Conference
SPIE Smart Structures and Materials + Nondestructive Evaluation and Health Monitoring
Publication Version
Published Version
Publication Date
3-27-2018
Journal or Book Title
Proceedings of SPIE
Volume
10599
First Page
105991J
Research Focus Area
Structural Engineering
DOI
10.1117/12.2296518
Conference Title
Nondestructive Characterization and Monitoring of Advanced Materials, Aerospace, Civil Infrastructure, and Transportation XII
Conference Date
March 4-8, 2018
City
Denver, CO
Abstract
Renewable energy production has become a key research driver during the last decade. Wind energy represents a ready technology for large-scale implementation in locations all around the world. While important research is conducted to optimize wind energy production efficiency, a critical issue consists of monitoring the structural integrity and functionality of these large structures during their operational life cycle. This paper investigates the durability of a soft elastomeric capacitor strain sensing membrane, designed for structural health monitoring of wind turbines, when exposed to aggressive environmental conditions. The sensor is a capacitor made of three thin layers of an SEBS polymer in a sandwich configuration. The inner layer is doped with titania and acts as the dielectric, while the external layers are filled with carbon black and work as the conductive plates. Here, a variety of samples, not limited to the sensor configuration but also including its dielectric layer, were fabricated and tested within an accelerated weathering chamber (QUV) by simulating thermal, humidity, and UV radiation cycles. A variety of other tests were performed in order to characterize their mechanical, thermal, and electrical performance in addition to their solar reflectance. These tests were carried out before and after the QUV exposures of 1, 7, 15, and 30 days. The tests showed that titania inclusions improved the sensor durability against weathering. These findings contribute to better understanding the field behavior of these skin sensors, while future developments will concern the analysis of the sensing properties of the skin after aging.
Copyright Owner
Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)
Copyright Date
2018
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Downey, Austin; Pisello, Anna Laura; Fortunati, Elena; Fabiani, Claudia; Luzi, Francesca; Torre, Luigi; Ubertini, Filippo; and Laflamme, Simon, "Durability assessment of soft elastomeric capacitor skin for SHM of wind turbine blades" (2018). Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering Conference Presentations and Proceedings. 83.
https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ccee_conf/83
Included in
Structural Engineering Commons, Structures and Materials Commons, Sustainability Commons
Comments
This proceeding is published as
Austin Downey, Anna Laura Pisello, Elena Fortunati, Claudia Fabiani, Francesca Luzi, Luigi Torre, Filippo Ubertini, Simon Laflamme, "Durability assessment of soft elastomeric capacitor skin for SHM of wind turbine blades," Proc. SPIE 10599, Nondestructive Characterization and Monitoring of Advanced Materials, Aerospace, Civil Infrastructure, and Transportation XII, 105991J (27 March 2018); doi: 10.1117/12.2296518. Posted with permission.