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Smart Sensors for Structural Health Monitoring and Nondestructive Evaluation: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2025 | Viewed by 9669

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Zenghua Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Materials and Manufacturing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
Interests: ultrasonic nondestructive testing and evaluation; structural health monitoring; signal processing; smart sensors development; electromagnetic inspection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Structural health monitoring (SHM) and nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technologies can be used to identify defects or damages and evaluate the health of components or systems to avoid structural failure or catastrophes. Sensors are widely used to collect information about the status of engineering components and systems. The development and application of sensors are key research topics in the areas of SHM and NDE. This Special Issue will collect recent research exploring the use of sensors for SHM and NDE.

We look forward to receiving papers on a wide range of research topics including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Sensors and sensor arrays;
  • Sensor modeling and simulation;
  • SHM systems and technology;
  • Nondestructive testing and evaluation;
  • Structure diagnosis and performance evaluation;
  • Signal processing;
  • Artificial intelligence applications in SHM and NDE;
  • System and instrument development;
  • Field applications of SHM and NDE.

For this Special Issue, you are also welcome to submit review papers reporting on sensor development and applications in SHM and NDE.

Prof. Dr. Zenghua Liu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • structural health monitoring
  • nondestructive evaluation/testing
  • sensor
  • sensor array
  • detection
  • finite element simulation
  • signal processing
  • system development
  • artificial intelligence
  • field applications

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 2529 KiB  
Article
Experimental Investigation on Passive Survivability of Lithium-Ion Batteries Under Extremely Low Temperatures
by Ali Soleimani Borujerdi, Jinying Zhu, Bo Zhang and Yinsheng Guo
Sensors 2025, 25(4), 1160; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25041160 - 14 Feb 2025
Viewed by 547
Abstract
This paper presents an experimental study using an ultrasonic technique to investigate the impact of extremely low temperatures on the performance of lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion polymer batteries were aged in three low-temperature conditions: in a temperature chamber (−34 °C), in a [...] Read more.
This paper presents an experimental study using an ultrasonic technique to investigate the impact of extremely low temperatures on the performance of lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion polymer batteries were aged in three low-temperature conditions: in a temperature chamber (−34 °C), in a dry ice bath (−78 °C), and in a liquid nitrogen bath (−196 °C). The battery aged in liquid nitrogen was damaged. The batteries aged in the chamber and dry ice bath were then subjected to charge and discharge cycles and simultaneously monitored using the ultrasonic technique. Three key ultrasonic parameters were measured, signal amplitude, time of flight (TOF), and TOF shift, using 5 MHz commercial ultrasonic transducers. These measurements were conducted alongside electrical measurements (voltage and current) to monitor the batteries throughout the testing cycles. The results showed that the aged batteries exhibited significantly lower ultrasonic amplitude compared to the control batteries. Additionally, as the cycle number increased, the TOF increased and the discharge capacity decreased. The TOF shift increased linearly with the discharge capacity. However, no clear correlation was observed between the slope of this linear relationship and the low-temperature aging history of the batteries. Overall, the ultrasonic amplitude proved to be a reliable parameter for differentiating the control and low-temperature aged batteries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Sensors for Structural Health Monitoring and Nondestructive Evaluation: 2nd Edition)
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17 pages, 8620 KiB  
Article
Unique Characteristics of Pulse-Echo Sensing Systems for Ultrasonic Immersion Testing in Harsh Environments
by Gaofeng Sha, Andrew R. Bozek, Bernhard R. Tittmann and Cliff J. Lissenden
Sensors 2024, 24(23), 7748; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24237748 - 4 Dec 2024
Viewed by 925
Abstract
Ultrasound is an excellent way to acquire data that reveal useful information about systems operating in harsh environments, which may include elevated temperature, ionizing radiation, and aggressive chemicals. The effects of harsh environments on piezoelectric materials have been studied in much more depth [...] Read more.
Ultrasound is an excellent way to acquire data that reveal useful information about systems operating in harsh environments, which may include elevated temperature, ionizing radiation, and aggressive chemicals. The effects of harsh environments on piezoelectric materials have been studied in much more depth than the other aspects of ultrasonic transducers used in pulse-echo mode. Therefore, finite element simulations and laboratory experiments are used to demonstrate the unique characteristics of pulse-echo immersion testing. Using an aluminum nitride piezoelectric element mounted on a vessel wall, characteristics associated with electrode thickness, couplant, backing material, and an acoustic matching layer are investigated. Considering a wave path through a vessel wall and into a fluid containing a target, when the travel distance in the fluid is relatively short, it can be difficult to discern the target echo from the reverberations in the vessel wall. When an acoustic matching layer between the vessel wall and the fluid does not suffice, a simple subtractive signal-processing method can minimize the reverberations, leaving just the target echoes of interest. Simulations and experiments demonstrate that sufficient target echoes are detected to determine the time of flight. Furthermore, a simple disc-like surface anomaly on the target is detectable. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Sensors for Structural Health Monitoring and Nondestructive Evaluation: 2nd Edition)
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16 pages, 4946 KiB  
Article
A Composite Pulse Excitation Technique for Air-Coupled Ultrasonic Detection of Defects in Wood
by Jun Wang, Changsen Zhang, Maocheng Zhao, Hongyan Zou, Liang Qi and Zheng Wang
Sensors 2024, 24(23), 7550; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24237550 - 26 Nov 2024
Viewed by 861
Abstract
To overcome the problems of the low signal-to-noise ratio and poor performance of wood ultrasonic images caused by ring-down vibrations during the ultrasonic quality detection of wood, a composite pulse excitation technique using a wood air-coupled ultrasonic detection system is proposed. Through a [...] Read more.
To overcome the problems of the low signal-to-noise ratio and poor performance of wood ultrasonic images caused by ring-down vibrations during the ultrasonic quality detection of wood, a composite pulse excitation technique using a wood air-coupled ultrasonic detection system is proposed. Through a mathematical analysis of the output of the ultrasonic transducer, the conditions necessary for implementing composite pulse excitation were analyzed and established, and its feasibility was verified through COMSOL simulations. Firstly, wood samples with knot and pit defects were used as experimental samples. We refined the parameters for the composite pulse excitation technique by conducting A-scan measurements on both defective and non-defective areas of the samples. Moreover, two stepper motors were employed to control the path for C-scan imaging to detect wood defects. The experiment results showed that the composite pulse excitation technique significantly enhanced the precision of nondestructive ultrasonic testing for wood defects compared to the traditional single-pulse excitation method. This technique successfully achieved precise detection and location of pit defects, with a detection accuracy rate of 90% for knot defects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Sensors for Structural Health Monitoring and Nondestructive Evaluation: 2nd Edition)
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15 pages, 9001 KiB  
Article
Novel Water Probe for High-Frequency Focused Transducer Applied to Scanning Acoustic Microscopy System: Simulation and Experimental Investigation
by Van Hiep Pham, Le Hai Tran, Jaeyeop Choi, Hoanh-Son Truong, Tan Hung Vo, Dinh Dat Vu, Sumin Park and Junghwan Oh
Sensors 2024, 24(16), 5179; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24165179 - 10 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1676
Abstract
A scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) system is a common non-destructive instrument which is used to evaluate the material quality in scientific and industrial applications. Technically, the tested sample is immersed in water during the scanning process. Therefore, a robot arm is incorporated into [...] Read more.
A scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) system is a common non-destructive instrument which is used to evaluate the material quality in scientific and industrial applications. Technically, the tested sample is immersed in water during the scanning process. Therefore, a robot arm is incorporated into the SAM system to transfer the sample for in-line inspection, which makes the system complex and increases time consumption. The main aim of this study is to develop a novel water probe for the SAM system, that is, a waterstream. During the scanning process, water was supplied using a waterstream instead of immersing the sample in the water, which leads to a simple design of an automotive SAM system and a reduction in time consumption. In addition, using a waterstream in the SAM system can avoid contamination of the sample due to immersion in water for long-time scanning. Waterstream was designed based on the measured focal length calculation of the transducer and simulated to investigate the internal flow characteristics. To validate the simulation results, the waterstream was prototyped and applied to the TSAM-400 and W-FSAM traditional and fast SAM systems to successfully image some samples such as carbon fiber-reinforced polymers, a printed circuit board, and a 6-inch wafer. These results demonstrate the design method of the water probe applied to the SAM system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Sensors for Structural Health Monitoring and Nondestructive Evaluation: 2nd Edition)
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12 pages, 3277 KiB  
Article
Non-Destructive Imaging of Defects Using Non-Cooperative 5G Millimeter-Wave Signals
by Stavros Vakalis, Jorge R. Colon-Berrios, Daniel Chen and Jeffrey A. Nanzer
Sensors 2023, 23(14), 6421; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23146421 - 14 Jul 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1597
Abstract
Recent developments in fifth-generation (5G) wireless communications networks are creating an increasingly crowded electromagnetic environment at microwave (3–30 GHz) and millimeter-wave (30–300 GHz) frequencies. Radiation at these bands can provide non-destructive testing of defects and shielded structures using non-ionizing signals. In an actual [...] Read more.
Recent developments in fifth-generation (5G) wireless communications networks are creating an increasingly crowded electromagnetic environment at microwave (3–30 GHz) and millimeter-wave (30–300 GHz) frequencies. Radiation at these bands can provide non-destructive testing of defects and shielded structures using non-ionizing signals. In an actual building setting where 5G millimeter-wave communications signals are present, passive imaging of the radiation that is propagating through a wall defect can take place by means of interferometric processing without emitting additional signals in an already-crowded spectrum. We investigate the use of millimeter-wave interferometric imaging of defects in building walls and shielded structures by capturing the transmission of 5G millimeter-wave signals through the defects. We experimentally explore the ability to image defects by capturing the transmission of 38 GHz signals through materials using a 24-element interferometric receiving array. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Sensors for Structural Health Monitoring and Nondestructive Evaluation: 2nd Edition)
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Review

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53 pages, 50379 KiB  
Review
Sensing Techniques for Structural Health Monitoring: A State-of-the-Art Review on Performance Criteria and New-Generation Technologies
by Ali Mardanshahi, Abhilash Sreekumar, Xin Yang, Swarup Kumar Barman and Dimitrios Chronopoulos
Sensors 2025, 25(5), 1424; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25051424 - 26 Feb 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3075
Abstract
This systematic review examines the capabilities, challenges, and practical implementations of the most widely utilized and emerging sensing technologies in structural health monitoring (SHM) for infrastructures, addressing a critical research gap. While many existing reviews focus on individual methods, comprehensive cross-method comparisons have [...] Read more.
This systematic review examines the capabilities, challenges, and practical implementations of the most widely utilized and emerging sensing technologies in structural health monitoring (SHM) for infrastructures, addressing a critical research gap. While many existing reviews focus on individual methods, comprehensive cross-method comparisons have been limited due to the highly tailored nature of each technology. We address this by proposing a novel framework comprising five specific evaluation criteria—deployment suitability in SHM, hardware prerequisites, characteristics of the acquired signals, sensitivity metrics, and integration with Digital Twin environments—refined with subcriteria to ensure transparent and meaningful performance assessments. Applying this framework, we analyze both the advantages and constraints of established sensing technologies, including infrared thermography, electrochemical sensing, strain measurement, ultrasonic testing, visual inspection, vibration analysis, and acoustic emission. Our findings highlight critical trade-offs in scalability, environmental sensitivity, and diagnostic accuracy. Recognizing these challenges, we explore next-generation advancements such as self-sensing structures, unmanned aerial vehicle deployment, IoT-enabled data fusion, and enhanced Digital Twin simulations. These innovations aim to overcome existing limitations by enhancing real-time monitoring, data management, and remote accessibility. This review provides actionable insights for researchers and practitioners while identifying future research opportunities to advance scalable and adaptive SHM solutions for large-scale infrastructure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Sensors for Structural Health Monitoring and Nondestructive Evaluation: 2nd Edition)
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