Decoupled Monitoring Method for Strain and Cracks Based on Multilayer Patch Antenna Sensor

• Published in: Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 21; no. 8; p. 2766
• Main Authors: Liu, Zhiping, Guo, Qian, Wang, Yuanhao, Lu, Biwei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 14-04-2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Antennas; Bandwidths; Converters; Crack initiation; crack monitoring; Crack propagation; Decoupling; Deformation; Electromagnetism; Impedance matching; Monitoring; multilayer structure; Multilayers; patch antenna sensor; Patch antennas; Radiation; Resonant frequencies; Sensors; Strain gauges; strain identification; Stress concentration; Stress propagation; Thickness; Working conditions; crack monitoring; patch antenna sensor; multilayer structure; strain identification; decoupling
• ISSN: 1424-8220; 1424-8220
• DOI: 10.3390/s21082766

As the rapid development of high-end intelligent equipment continues, the design requirements for crack and strain monitoring equipment are increasing daily. In this paper, a decoupled monitoring method for strain and cracks based on a multilayer patch antenna sensor is studied. First, the monitoring principle for strain and crack decoupling is analyzed. Second, the design method for the multilayer patch antenna sensor is studied, and the hierarchical arrangement, patch size, substrate layer thickness, and feeding line structure are designed on the basis of this method. A quarter-wavelength impedance converter is designed to perform impedance matching and optimize the resonant frequency information. The effects of strain and crack propagation on the resonant frequency of the patch antenna are analyzed through simulations, and the decoupled monitoring method for the structural stress state and crack propagation is discussed. Lastly, the feasibility of decoupled monitoring of strain and cracks is verified experimentally. The results of the theoretical analysis, simulations, and experiments show that the proposed patch antenna sensor based on the multilayer structure can realize decoupled monitoring of strain and cracks in the structure, and the sensor has broad application prospects.