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Self-sensing piezoelectric bistable laminates for morphing structures

Bistable laminates offer opportunities for shape morphing, energy harvesting, and flow control devices. Smart materials such as piezoelectric macrofiber composites and shape memory alloys have been embedded in bistable laminates to actuate or harvest energy. However, sensor systems capable of measuring bistable shapes and snap-through events are lacking. In this paper, we present curved bistable laminates layered with piezoelectric PVDF films that can sense smooth shape changes as well as abrupt snap-through transitions. Near-static measurement is facilitated by a drift compensated charge amplifier with a large time constant that converts the sensor’s charge output into a measurable voltage with minimal drift error. The sensing function is demonstrated on mechanically-prestressed bistable laminates. The laminated composites include two sensor layers such that one measures the changes in curvature and the other measures snap-through events. An analytical model is presented in which strains and curvatures calculated using a laminated-plate model are fed into a linear piezoelectric model to calculate voltage. Shapes measured by the sensors correlate well with shapes measured using a 3D motion capture system. A model-based analysis is performed to understand the laminates’ design space.