A Real-time Electronic System for Automated Impact Detection on Aircraft Structures Using Piezoelectric Transducers

Impact damage is one of the major concerns in maintenance of structures built from composite materials. For example damages induced by impact in composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV) operating in space conditions required an innovative approach for structural health monitoring (SHM) with piezoelectric transducers. Automated impact detection and characterization on structures has been an elusive goal due to the transitory nature of the detectable signals involved. The work describes the development of a real-time electronic system for automated impact detection on a scale model of COPV using piezoelectric transducers connected to a mixed analog-digital electronics.