Development of dual sensor for prognosticating fatigue failure of mechanical structures

Abstract

Because of the inherent uncertainties caused by the manufacturing process variations, future loading conditions, and incomplete damage models, the lifetimes of mechanical structures under field conditions are significantly different from the results obtained in the laboratories. In this study, a dual sensor was developed to prognosticate the fatigue failure of structures under these uncertain conditions, and its effectiveness was demonstrated on a rectangular columnar structure under repeated uni-axial loading. The dual sensor is a slightly weaker structure embedded in the target structure, so that failure occurs in the sensor earlier than in the target structure. From the signal differences in the strain gauges in the embedded dual sensor, it is possible to differentiate between the normal status and warning status, even under variable loads.