Manufacturing Processes of Sensorial Materials: Sensors Placement and Experimental Validation

Nervous and sensorial materials are gaining more attention with in-material host of both sensors and actuators together to build functional materials for robotics and structural health monitoring. This paper presents a case study of a cantilever beam made with different materials including metals, polymers and powder-based materials using variety of manufacturing procedures with inserted sensors inside. The part becomes sensorial in this case and may be more functional for structural health monitoring and smart materials with dynamic functions. The results show that not only the location of the sensors is extremely important inside the material to capture true material's behavior, but also the integrity of both sensors and material that must be satisfied. Example with experimental validation have shown agreement between theoretical and measured values.