Development of piezoelectric paint thick-film vibration sensors

Abstract

This paper describes a programme of trials of thick-film dynamic strain sensors made using ‘piezoelectric paint’. The fabrication process is described and it is shown that the sensitivity is comparable with that of other thick-film sensors and the piezoelectric polymer polyvnylidenefluoride (PVDF). A series of dynamic and environmental tests is described. The dynamic range and bandwidth are shown to be suitable for structural vibration monitoring, and to be largely unaffected by adverse environments (rain, frost, sunlight, etc.).