Structural Fatigue Life Monitoring with Piezoelectric-Based Sensors: Fundamentals, Current Advances, and Future Directions

Aliakbar Ghaderiaram, Erik Schlangen, Mohammad Fotouhi*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

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Abstract

Structural fatigue can lead to catastrophic failures in various engineering applications and must be properly monitored and effectively managed. This paper provides a state-of-the-art review of recent developments in structural fatigue monitoring using piezoelectric-based sensors. Compared to alternative sensing technologies, piezoelectric sensors offer distinct advantages, including compact size, lightweight design, low cost, flexible formats, and high sensitivity to dynamic loads. The paper reviews the working principles and recent advancements in passive piezoelectric-based sensors, such as acoustic emission wave and strain measurements, and active piezoelectric-based sensors, including ultrasonic wave and dynamic characteristic measurements. These measurements, captured under in-service dynamic strain, can be correlated to the remaining structural fatigue life. Case studies are presented, highlighting applications of fatigue life monitoring in metals, polymeric composites, and reinforced concrete structures. The paper concludes by identifying challenges and opportunities for advancing piezoelectric-based sensors for fatigue life monitoring in engineering structures.
Original languageEnglish
Article number334
Number of pages43
JournalSensors
Volume25
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2025

Keywords

  • fatigue life
  • monitoring
  • piezoelectric sensor
  • active sensors
  • passive sensors
  • dynamic loads

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