Application Cases

With the rapid advancement of technology, key engineering structures are evolving toward large-scale, complex intelligent systems. Among these, various types of plate-like structures are widely utilized. The service life of large structures typically spans several decades. Due to limitations in design theories, exposure to outdoor environments, and loads between structural components, these structures are susceptible to damage and failure during service. This is caused by unavoidable environmental loads from natural conditions, as well as the coupling effects of imperfect design theories and material/structure fatigue. Therefore, regular health monitoring and management of large structures have become an urgent necessity.

Experiment Name: Fabrication and Sensing Performance Experiment of Annular Flexible Interdigital Transducers (IDTs) and Arrays

Experimental Principle:
The experiment is based on the piezoelectric effect (PVDF material enabling electromechanical signal conversion), broadband IDT design (optimizing interdigital parameters to achieve multi-frequency fusion), omnidirectional characteristics of annular arrays (consistent circumferential beam directivity), and Lamb wave propagation properties (long-distance, low attenuation in plate-like structures). By utilizing the reflection and scattering of Lamb waves, structural damage is identified, ultimately achieving broadband, omnidirectional structural health monitoring and damage localization.

Experimental Block Diagram:

Experimental Setup Photos:

Experimental Procedure:
First, a composite substrate was formed by depositing PDMS and PVDF using a film-coating machine. Annular silver paste electrodes were then fabricated via 3D printing technology. After conductivity testing and pre-bonding treatment on aluminum plates, an experimental platform consisting of a "signal generator - power amplifier - oscilloscope" was established. Individual annular flexible IDTs and a 14-element array were calibrated for frequency response, vibration output, azimuth/distance attenuation characteristics. Finally, damage detection and localization capabilities were verified through simulated damage scenarios.

Application Fields:

• Structural Health Monitoring of Key Engineering Structures: Damage detection and localization in large flexible plate-like/curved plate-like structures (aircraft fuselages, large pipelines, wind turbine blades).

• Multi-Damage/Complex Structure Monitoring: Broadband characteristics enable multi-damage identification; flexible substrates adapt to complex structures with large curvatures/curved surfaces.

• Upgraded Nondestructive Testing Technology: Replacement for traditional piezoelectric ceramic sensors, applicable in structural monitoring scenarios requiring lightweight, flexible attachment.

Application Scenarios:
Annular flexible IDTs, interdigital transducer arrays, structural health monitoring (SHM), sensing performance calibration, Lamb waves, PDMS/PVDF composite substrates, 3D-printed electrodes, broadband sensing, omnidirectional detection, dielectric elastomers, damage localization, aluminum plate nondestructive testing, flexible piezoelectric sensors.

Product Recommendation: ATA-2000 Series High-Voltage Amplifier

Figure: ATA-2000 Series High-Voltage Amplifier Specifications and Parameters