Abstract:
An apparatus and method for determining the dynamic response of a physical structure is disclosed. A single sheet of a piezoelectric polymer film, preferably polyvinylidene fluoride, or PVDF, is coated on one side with a thin layer of conductive material to serve as a ground electrode. The other side of the sheet is coated with a thin layer or conductive material in a non-contiguous pattern of individual electrodes defining an array of discrete piezoelectric transducers. Sensor leads are connected to each individual electrode and lead to a signal processor which includes associated software for determining from the processed electrical signals relative strain amplitudes of the surface area of a physical structure onto which the sheet is attached. The resulting output can be used to record strain time histories for later processing or, more simply, to show the time-averaged, steady state strain response of a structure.