Health monitoring

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems reduce life-cycle costs, increase structural reliability and extend the operational hours for a wide variety of structures. Using its sensors, actuators and transducers, CEDRAT TECHNOLOGIES has developed various original SHM components and techniques for civil engineering as well as aerospace: 

  • In metal parts (bridges, pipe lines, tanks, aircraft metal parts ), the objective is to detect corrosion and anticipate structure weakening before failure.  
  • In composite structures (aircraft aerostructures), it is required to monitor the health of composite panels by detecting damages, flaws and defects (cracks, delamination, kissbonding, impacts…) in order to anticipating large fractures.  

For both cases, vibro-acoustic techniques are relevant and developed at CTEC. High frequency techniques relies on piezoelectric sensors based on patches and ultrasonic waves. In particular, CTEC has developed Lamb Wave Detection Systems including LWDS45 pulse-echo electronics. The working principle is introduced in the LWDS video. Low frequency techniques based on structure resonances are alternatives at CTEC using APA® or PPA excitation and vibrations sensors (patches, accelerometers, …).     

Magnetic sensing are used in a broad range of Non Destructive Testing (NDT) and some SHM applications, similar as mentioned above but only for metal parts. The different techniques are based on eddy current sensing, magnetoscopy, magnetostriction are known at CTEC relying on its expertise and products relating on magnetism. Examples of development are given below.

For any further information feel free to visit our publications section.

LWDS45 Linear amplifier for piezo patches

Cedrat Technologies offers linear amplifiers for piezoelectric patches, so called LWDS45, suited for applications like structural Health Monitoring and wideband low voltage piezo drivers.

Applications

Structural Health Monitoring; Wideband low voltage piezo drivers

STATUS

Product

SHM & NDT based on ultrasonic guided waves

Cedrat Technologies offers solutions in the field of piezo-transducers and their related electronics (driving, sensing, controlling) such as the LWDS45, which served as a basis to develop SHM or NDT application. The proposed solutions consist in driving and sensing electronics, ranging from the pure analog rack to the fully programmable solution delivered with Graphical User Interface (GUI).

Applications

Non Destructive Testing, Structural Health Monitoring…

STATUS

Customised product

Magnetostrictive Stress Sensor

This Contactless Stress Sensor uses the Magnetostriction (magnetoelasticity) of the steel part or cable where it is located to measure the static & dynamic forces. It was developped for Freyssinet and EDF, for prestressed concrete monitoring.

Applications

Civil Engineering Structure Health Monitoring (Bridge), NDT, Rotating shaft …

STATUS

Prototype