Potential NASA Commercial Applications: Distributed wireless monitoring of sensors using passive SAW sensor-tags will have widespread non-NASA commercial applications. AE sensors have been shown to be capable of real-time detection of cracks, delamination, and other growing failure mechanisms in concrete, metal, composites, and other materials. Given the current state of the nation's aging infrastructure, this technology will be widely used to monitor the condition of bridges, tunnels, and pavements. Combination of the proposed sensor-tags with novel AE sensor technologies such as sensors based on flexible piezoelectric materials will provide low cost solutions to this extensive monitoring problem. Development of intelligent wireless infrastructure monitoring networks utilizing such passive wireless sensors combined with data correlation and interpretation would be capable of providing infrastructure owners with automated information on structural conditions, including likely causative factors for detected fault conditions. This information would be useful to the owners in effectively prioritizing limited maintenance and repair resources. Other commercial applications will likely include monitoring of commercial airframes for aging and deterioration, inventorying and tracking high value industrial assets (even in extreme environments), and distributed sensing systems for environmental applications such as landfills. ASR&D has received inquiries from potential customers related to each of these applications.
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