Signal loss, spatial resolution, and sensitivity of long coaxial crack sensors

Shishuang Sun; David J. Pommerenke; James L. Drewniak; Genda Chen

doi:10.1117/12.540033

29 July 2004 Signal loss, spatial resolution, and sensitivity of long coaxial crack sensors

Shishuang Sun, David J. Pommerenke, James L. Drewniak, Genda Chen

Proceedings Volume 5391, Smart Structures and Materials 2004: Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.540033
Event: Smart Structures and Materials, 2004, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

Configuration-based coaxial cable sensors have recently been developed to detect cracks in reinforced concrete (RC) structures. These sensors have shown a high sensitivity when applied to several short RC flexural members. However, the signal losses resulting from a long cable sensor may distort the initial waveform of the electromagnetic wave propagating along the cable, thereby compromising the spatial resolution and sensitivity of this sensor. The signal losses consist of the contributions from the skin effect of conductors, energy absorption in the dielectric material, and impedance mismatch loss due to multiple signal reflections resulting from discontinuities caused by the separation between the adjacent spirals, which acts as the outer conductor of a cable sensor. This paper summarizes the basic physics of signal losses in cable sensors, and investigates the impact of the signal losses on the spatial resolution and sensitivity of a cable sensor over distance. Several methods are proposed to simulate and quantify various factors affecting the signal losses.

Citation Download Citation

Shishuang Sun, David J. Pommerenke, James L. Drewniak, and Genda Chen "Signal loss, spatial resolution, and sensitivity of long coaxial crack sensors", Proc. SPIE 5391, Smart Structures and Materials 2004: Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems, (29 July 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.540033

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