Smart joint for similar and dissimilar materials including polymers, fiber reinforced composites, metals, concrete, wood based products, and other structural materials
AssigneeUniversity of Tennessee Research Foundation
InventorDayakar Penumadu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Joints, such as adhesive and welded thermoplastic joints, comprising embedded and/or surface mounted components of a sensor system are provided. The embedded and/or surface mounted component can be an optical fiber. Strain and/or stress can be monitored in the joint in a spatially resolved manner periodically or continuously, for example, to warn of potential failure of the joint or estimate residual/remaining life of a bonded component. The stress and/or strain information can also be used to improve the design of the joint. Methods and systems for monitoring stress and/or strain in a joint, and methods of preparing the joints are provided, as well.
Claims26
A joint comprising at least a first component and a second component, wherein a surface of the first component and a surface of the second component are attached to one another at a joint, wherein said joint is selected from an adhesive joint or a welded thermoplastic joint, and comprising a sensing component comprising a length of optical fiber embedded in the joint and/or attached to a surface of the joint, wherein said sensing component is free of a grating etched in the optical fiber, further wherein said joint is configured to provide stress and/or strain values at one or more locations in the joint, wherein said stress and/or strain values can be provided periodically or continuously, wherein said stress and/or strain values can be determined in three dimensions.
A method of measuring stress and/or strain in a joint, the method comprising:
- (a) providing a joint comprising at least a first component and a second component, wherein a surface of the first component and a surface of the second component are attached to one another at a joint, wherein said joint is selected from an adhesive joint or a welded thermoplastic joint, further wherein said joint is configured to provide stress and/or strain values at one or more locations in the joint, wherein said stress and/or strain values can be provided periodically or continuously;
- (b) directing an optical signal into a sensing component embedded in the joint and/or attached to a surface of the joint, wherein the sensing component comprises a length of optical fiber and is free of a grating etched in the optical fiber;
- (c) detecting an optical signal emitted from the sensing component;
- and
- (d) processing the optical signal from (c) to determine stress and/or strain information at one or more points in the joint.
A system for monitoring stress and/or strain in a joint comprising:
- (a) a joint comprising at least a first component and a second component, wherein a surface of the first component and a surface of the second component are attached to one another at a joint, wherein said joint is selected from an adhesive joint or a welded thermoplastic joint;
- and
- (b) a sensor system comprising:
- (i) a sensing component, wherein the sensing component comprises a length of optical fiber embedded in the joint and/or attached to a surface of the joint, wherein the sensing component is free of a grating etched in the optical fiber;
- (ii) a signal source module arranged to emit a signal into the sensing component, wherein the signal source module emits an optical signal;
- and
- (iii) a signal detection module arranged to detect an optical signal guided from the signal source module by at least a portion of the sensing component.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.