Sensors/actuators network development for aeronautics structure health monitoring

Structural health monitoring for aeronautics manufacturer is one of the biggest challenge that they face during this decade. Our work in this field focuses on the development and the system integration of micrometric piezoelectric sensor/actuator to generate and measure Lamb waves. The aim of the application is to detect mechanical flaws on aeronautics structures to quantify the global structure´s reliability. The study begins by a physical and analytical analysis of piezoelectric patch before focusing on acoustic wave generation into the tested structure. This paper brings examples of application on aircraft structures specimens and the feasibility of the system is therefore demonstrated.