Date of Award
Summer 7-2024
Access Type
Dissertation - Open Access
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Aerospace Engineering
Department
Aerospace Engineering
Committee Chair
Daewon Kim
Committee Co-Chair
Foram Madiyar
Committee Advisor
Daewon Kim
First Committee Member
Foram Madiyar
Second Committee Member
Alberto Mello
Third Committee Member
Mandar Kulkarni
Fourth Committee Member
Eduardo Rojas
College Dean
James W. Gregory
Abstract
The demand for acoustic wave-based sensors has rapidly increased in the aerospace, chemical, gas, and biological fields due to their versatility in sensing measurands. This study aims to develop a flexible piezoelectric sensor exhibiting enhanced piezoelectric properties using additive manufacturing techniques that can detect mechanical strains and gas or volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by incorporating functional material into the sensing layer. This research explores piezoelectric substrate fabrication through diverse additive manufacturing techniques, including new material development made of polymer/nano-fillers with electrodes that are filled using different printing techniques. Notably, the design of the interdigital transducer (IDT) in the piezoelectric sensor is crucial as it determines the effectiveness of wave propagation, providing invaluable information for desired parameters. Moreover, this research investigates the characteristics and effectiveness of sensors with various IDT layouts placed in different configurations through numerical and experimental analysis. The numerical study involves 3D modeling of sensor design to examine wave characteristics and sensor performance in both time and frequency domains. A well-known PVDF polymer is modeled to ensure the concordance between the theoretical (COM MATLAB algorithm), numerical, and experimental results with surface-mounted and embedded IDTs. Additionally, the developed sensor’s strain detection capability is explored by measuring the change in scattering parameters using a network analyzer. The primary results serve as a foundation, helping to define an approach to predict sensor behavior for specific designs in varying conditions. This, in turn, extends the sensor’s application for multifunctional devices by integrating a nanoparticle sensing layer capable of detecting various concentrations of VOC. Finally, the implementation and feasibility of the developed sensor for wireless sensing and VOC detection are studied.
Scholarly Commons Citation
Srinivasaraghavan Govindarajan, Rishikesh, "Additively Manufactured Flexible Piezoelectric Wave-Based Multifunctional Sensor" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses. 840.
https://commons.erau.edu/edt/840
