Carbon fiber composite panel with integrated fault detection and health monitoring
Inventors
Feng, Maria Q. • Aitharaju, Venkateshwar R. • Demo, Luke • Tronci, Eleonora Maria
Assignees
Columbia University in the City of New York • GM Global Technology Operations LLC
Publication Number
US-12366544-B2
Publication Date
2025-07-22
Expiration Date
Interested in licensing this patent?
MTEC can help explore whether this patent might be available for licensing for your application.
Abstract
A composite panel includes a first carbon fiber layer and a first glass fiber layer. A first carbon fiber sensor includes a first plurality of carbon fiber tows. The composite panel includes a second glass fiber layer and a second carbon fiber layer. The first carbon fiber sensor is arranged between the first glass fiber layer and the second glass fiber layer. The first carbon fiber layer and the second carbon fiber layer are arranged adjacent to the first glass fiber layer and the second glass fiber layer, respectively.
Core Innovation
The present disclosure describes a composite panel that includes a first carbon fiber layer, a first glass fiber layer, a first carbon fiber sensor comprising a first plurality of carbon fiber tows, a second glass fiber layer, and a second carbon fiber layer. The first carbon fiber sensor is arranged between the first glass fiber layer and the second glass fiber layer, and the first carbon fiber layer and the second carbon fiber layer are arranged adjacent to the first glass fiber layer and the second glass fiber layer, respectively.
Carbon fiber composites are increasingly being used as structural components in vehicles, aircraft, and other applications, and some composite panels are arranged in locations that are subjected to damage during operation; for example, a battery housing that encloses batteries of an electric vehicle may be made using a carbon fiber composite panel and a bottom surface of the battery housing may be exposed below the electric vehicle and may be damaged by road debris. Significant structural damage may occur without significant visible damage and visible damage may occur without significant structural damage, and it is difficult, time consuming and costly to evaluate damage to carbon fiber composite panels to diagnose whether repair or replacement needs to be made.
The carbon fiber sensors act as structural elements and sense stress/strain and/or damage to the composite panel by measuring an equivalent resistance of the carbon fiber sensor, and a controller is configured to measure the equivalent resistance, identify broken carbon fiber tows based on the equivalent resistance, identify a location of broken tows, and calculate a health or remaining life of the composite panel in response to changes in the equivalent resistance.
Claims Coverage
The claims include three independent claims and seven inventive features extracted from those claims.
First carbon fiber sensor including a first plurality of carbon fiber tows
A first carbon fiber sensor including a first plurality of carbon fiber tows.
First carbon fiber sensor arranged between glass fiber layers
The first carbon fiber sensor is arranged between the first glass fiber layer and the second glass fiber layer.
Carbon fiber layers arranged adjacent to glass fiber layers
The first carbon fiber layer and the second carbon fiber layer are arranged adjacent to the first glass fiber layer and the second glass fiber layer, respectively.
First carbon fiber sensor comprising N hybrid tows
A first carbon fiber sensor comprising N hybrid tows including a plurality of carbon fiber filaments surrounded by a plurality of glass fiber filaments, where N is an integer greater than or equal to one.
First carbon fiber sensor arranged between carbon fiber layers
The first carbon fiber sensor is arranged between the first carbon fiber layer and the second carbon fiber layer.
Hybrid composite panel comprising hybrid tows including carbon fiber filaments surrounded by glass fiber filaments
A hybrid composite panel comprising a first carbon fiber layer; a first carbon fiber sensor comprising a plurality of hybrid tows including a plurality of carbon fiber tows; and a plurality of glass fiber tows, the plurality of hybrid tows including a plurality of carbon fiber filaments surrounded by a plurality of glass fiber filaments; and a second carbon fiber layer, wherein the first carbon fiber sensor is arranged between the first carbon fiber layer and the second carbon fiber layer.
Controller configured to measure equivalent resistance and calculate health
A controller configured to measure an equivalent resistance of at least one of the carbon fiber tows; determine change in the equivalent resistance of the at least one of the carbon fiber tows relative to a predetermined resistance; and calculate a health of the hybrid composite panel in response to the change in the equivalent resistance.
The inventive features cover layered composite structures with embedded carbon fiber sensors or hybrid tows and controllers that measure equivalent resistance to detect broken tows, identify fault locations, and calculate health or remaining life.
Stated Advantages
The carbon fiber sensors act as structural elements and sense stress/strain and/or damage to the composite panel.
A controller measures equivalent resistance and identifies broken carbon fiber tows and a location of faults based on changes in equivalent resistance.
Measured changes in equivalent resistance can be used to estimate the useful life or remaining operational life of the composite panel.
Using hybrid tows where glass fiber tows insulate carbon fiber tows allows the carbon fiber tows and glass fiber tows to act as load-bearing structural materials and as a sensor system, which saves manufacturing cost.
A single circuit is needed to measure the equivalent resistance of a multi-tow sensor, and increasing the number of loops in a tow increases sensitivity to strain.
Documented Applications
Structural components in vehicles, aircraft, and other applications.
Battery housing that encloses batteries of an electric vehicle, including a bottom surface of the battery housing exposed to road debris.
A vehicle control system in which controllers measure sensor resistance, notify a vehicle controller, and optionally send messages via a telematics system to a remote server for service scheduling and customer contact.
An electrical vehicle battery enclosure embedded with a plurality of carbon fiber sensors arranged along a bottom surface.
Interested in licensing this patent?