Numerical Study of a PVDF-Based Strain Sensor for Damage Detection of an Asphalt Pavement Subject to Dynamic Loads

This paper studies the performance of a piezoelectric-based strain sensor for Damage Detection of an asphalt Pavement Subject to Dynamic Loads. The core of the strain sensor is a metalized Polyvinylidenefluoride（PVDF) film packaged with three protection layers. The three layers offer mechanical, thermal, and corrosive protection for the PVDF film by composed of an Araldite GY-6010 epoxy resin layer, a polyurethane foam layer, and a Conathane TU-981 epoxy layer from inside to outside. The encapsulated strain sensor adopts a H-shape to optimize the overall performance. A numerical model is built for simulating the deflection of the PVDF-based strain sensor changes in real-time with the evolution of pavement crack with the sensor being embedded in the asphalt pavement. The PVDF film can convert the detected deflection change caused by the crack propagation into the amplitude change of the voltage, which can be captured and recorded using a data acquisition system. The final results of the numerical study validate the sensor performance under static and dynamic loads.