Damage Evaluation Using LiDAR Scan and Smart Piezo Layer

Advanced nondestructive sensing techniques have been used for structural evaluation. However, measurements of most techniques are not valid when large deformations occur. The reason for the invalidity is the fundamental assumptions of elasticity in measurement technique and that large geometric distortion resulted in mismatching of damage data to surface topologic data. To address the mismatch issue, this paper reports the results of combining an internal stress measurement technique using piezoelectric (PZT) sensing, and a surficial topology measurement technique, 3D LiDAR scan. LiDAR uses rays of laser beams to measure position data that produces a point cloud. The PZT technique gathers data collected by an actuator/sensor network generating and receiving signals across the interior of the plate using unique wave properties. Since wave properties can be correlated to structural elastic properties, they can used to detect condition changes. The integration of the two results allows validation of nondestructive damage detection and concurrent large deformation quantification. Preliminary test results on a 16 inches-by-16 inches aluminum plate subjected to five damage scenarios are presented to demonstrate the potential applications of such technique.