Condition monitoring of composite overwrap pressure vessels using MXene sensor

The composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV) with its excellent properties is used for high-pressure storage in aerospace industries. Before they can be reliably incorporated into space flight applications, a significant amount of work has been conducted for better predicting the condition status and residual life of COPVs. A novel MXene film sensor technology that can provide real-time and in situ structural health monitoring of composite structures was proposed in this work. An excellent MXene film sensor can be obtained based on the method proposed in this paper. Before sensor is applied to pressure vessels, coupon tests include tensile loading testing and fatigue loading testing is carried out. For coupon tests, the piezoresistive response of MXene sensor is understood. MXene sensors made on a flexible printed circuit (FPC) have been integrated into a composite pressure vessel, and are used to monitor changes in the hoop and axial strain fields during hydraulic pressure tests. The piezoresistive response of MXene sensor is obtained and the main working mechanism of MXene is explained. The distributed strain measurement of the vessel provides a more efficient process of monitoring structural integrity to further understand the failure mechanisms of the vessel.