3D Printing Technique for Passive Wireless Strain Sensing

Abstract

Passive wireless sensing systems, particularly passive antenna sensors, offer a viable alternative to traditional wired and active sensors for long-term structural health monitoring due to their simplicity, easy installation and maintenance, and ability to measure strain without an external power supply. Customization of antenna shape can also adapt to various structural geometries. However, sensor fabrication using chemical etching is expensive and time-consuming, which is unsuitable for limited-quantity production. To address this, this study explores the potential of extrusion-based additive manufacturing to produce cost-effective passive wireless antenna strain sensors. The study investigates polylactic acid’s mechanical and electromagnetic properties for substrate design and uses multi-physics simulation to estimate strain-sensing performance. The obtained results show similar strain-sensing performance to sensors produced through chemical etching, making the manufacturing process a promising alternative.

Keywords

• 3D printing
• antenna sensors
• passive sensing
• additive manufacturing
• strain sensing
• structural health monitoring