In this study, a strain gauge and a PVDF film sensors were used to measure the transient responses of a cantilever beam subjected to an impact loading. The measurement capability of a PVDF sensor is affected by the area of the PVDF film sensor and the signal conditioner (charge amplifier). The influences of these effects on the experimental measurements were investigated. The transient responses for the dynamic strain of the beam were measured simultaneously by the PVDF sensor and a conventional strain gauge. The resonant frequencies of the beam were determined by applying the Fast Fourier Transform on transient results in the time domain of the PVDF sensor and the strain gauge. The experimentally measured resonant frequencies from the PVDF sensor and the strain gauge were compared with those predicted from theoretical and FEM numerical calculations. Based on the comparison of the results measured for these two sensors, the PVDF film sensor proved capable of measuring transient responses for dynamic strain, and its sensitivity is better than that of the strain gauge. Furthermore, almost all the resonant frequencies can be obtained from the results of transient responses for PVDF film. We also applied this technique on the anisotropic material testing, e.g. the material properties of glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) or the structure manufacturing by 3D printing.

Selected Journal Paper in this topic:

Chien-Ching Ma, Yu-Hsi Huang, and Shan-Ying Pan, “Investigation of the Transient Behavior of a Cantilever Beam Using PVDF Sensors,” Sensors, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 2088-2117, 2012. (SCI/EI)

Chien-Ching Ma, Hsien-Yang Lin, Yu-Chih Lin, and Yu-Hsi Huang, “Experimental and Numerical Investigations on Resonant Characteristics of a Single-Layer Piezoceramic Plate and a Cross-Ply Piezolaminated Composite Plate,” Journal of Acoustical Society of America, vol. 199, no. 3, pp.1476-1486, 2006. (SCI/EI)