Piezoelectric PVDF sensor as a reliable device for strain/load monitoring of engineering structures

Abstract

This study investigates the potential of PVDF (polyvinyldiene fluoride) piezoelectric polymer material as a strain/load sensor for engineering structures. The PVDF sensor can be made in any shape/size and are flexible. In addition, the PVDF sensor is passive and offers the advantage of requiring no power to function. PVDF sensors were bonded to an aluminum specimen representative of an engineering structure and the voltage output of the PVDF sensors was found to vary linearly with the applied tensile load. This paper evaluates the possibility to make develop cheap, reliable and efficient sensors for structural health monitoring of engineering structures.