Development of Nanocomposites Quantum Resistive Sensors (QRS) for the Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of Composite for Wind Turbine Applications

Abstract

The growing development of renewable energies is leading to the fabrication of larger composite parts that will be subjected to more severe environment. The optimization of these systems health monitoring will be compulsory to estimate their damages and reduce the maintenance costs. The development of nanocomposites Quantum Resistive Sensors (QRS) for the monitoring of strain and damage of composite structures is presented. QRS are made with the addition of carbon nanotubes in an epoxy resin. Those sensors can be on the surface or embedded in the core of the material during its fabrication. Thanks to their low thickness (1-2 μm), they can provide in situ monitoring without the degradation of mechanical properties, and the creation of new defects. The characteristics of these sensors can be adjusted by the fraction of CNT in the resin or the amount of resin and CNT in the sensors. The electrical response of the sensor due to a mechanical solicitation is explained.