ADVANCED SENSOR TECHNOLOGIES FOR STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING AND BIO-MEDICAL APPLICATIONS
Prof. Haiying Huang, Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Texas Arlington
June 15, 2015, 10:00 am, NIA, Rm 137
Abstract
Sensor technology is the foundation of all “smart” technologies, e.g. structural health monitoring, mobile health, robotics, smart grid, etc. This talk presents three diverse projects related to advanced sensor development for health monitoring of structures, materials and humans. The first project addresses the major challenge of achieving densely distributed and low power wireless sensor networks. We discovered that microstrip patch antennas can be designed to sense various physical parameters, including strain, temperature, pressure, shear, crack, etc. Serving the dual function of sensing and data transmission, the patch antenna can be wirelessly interrogated without an on-board battery. In addition, multiple wireless antenna sensors can be interrogated simultaneously through frequency division multiplexing. The studies of the microwave antenna sensors for prosthetic socket monitoring and high temperature applications will also be presented. The second project investigates the realization of a wireless ultrasound inspection system as well as the study of the transducer adhesive layer for optimized ultrasound generation. The 3rd project focuses on identifying a quantifiable physical parameter that can represent early fatigue damage in metallic materials, which establishes the theoretical foundation for future sensor development.
Bio
Prof. Haiying Huang is a professor at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in the University of Texas Arlington (UTA). Her research is focused on health monitoring of structures, materials, and humans using microwave, ultrasonic, and optical fiber sensors. Prof. Huang has a PhD degree in Aerospace Engineering and a master degree in Electrical Engineering; both from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She has published 38 journal papers, 56 conference papers, and has 7 patents granted. Prof. Huang is a recipient of the 2009 NSF CAREER award and the 2007 Air Force Summer Faculty Fellowship. She is a member of the ASME and IEEE and a lifetime member of AIAA and SPIE.