Abstract
Structural heath monitoring of engineering structures is of growing interest due to increased complexity of such structures and the ability to schedule maintenance when it is needed thus preventing unnecessary work or preventing failure. One such method for monitoring the structural health of large scale structures is through the detection of Acoustic Emissions (AE). A novel thick film Acoustic Emission sensor is presented. Piezoelectric thick film AE sensors were fabricated by creating and pattering lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thick films using a powder/sol composite ink deposition technique in conjunction with mechanical patterning of the subsequent films. The resultant AE sensors exhibit a response comparable to commercially available AE sensors. Comparative results between the thick film and commercial sensors will be reviewed and discussed.