Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems reduce life-cycle costs, increase structural reliability and extend the operational hours for a wide variety of structures. Using its sensors, actuators and transducers, CEDRAT TECHNOLOGIES has developed various original SHM components and techniques for civil engineering as well as aerospace: 

• In metal parts (bridges, pipe lines, tanks, aircraft metal parts ), the objective is to detect corrosion and anticipate structure weakening before failure.  
• In composite structures (aircraft aerostructures), it is required to monitor the health of composite panels by detecting damages, flaws and defects (cracks, delamination, kissbonding, impacts…) in order to anticipating large fractures.  

For both cases, vibro-acoustic techniques are relevant and developed at CTEC. High frequency techniques relies on piezoelectric sensors based on patches and ultrasonic waves. In particular, CTEC has developed Lamb Wave Detection Systems including LWDS45 pulse-echo electronics. The working principle is introduced in the LWDS video. Low frequency techniques based on structure resonances are alternatives at CTEC using APA® or PPA excitation and vibrations sensors (patches, accelerometers, …).     

Magnetic sensing are used in a broad range of Non Destructive Testing (NDT) and some SHM applications, similar as mentioned above but only for metal parts. The different techniques are based on eddy current sensing, magnetoscopy, magnetostriction are known at CTEC relying on its expertise and products relating on magnetism. Examples of development are given below.

For any further information feel free to visit our publications section.