TY - JOUR
T1 - Research on the preparation, mechanical properties, and applications of damage-sensing composite materials
AU - Wang, Yang
AU - Bao, Jiawei
AU - Zhang, Yanjun
AU - Wang, Yangwei
AU - Liu, Yuanpei
AU - Cheng, Xingwang
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2026 IOP Publishing Ltd. All rights, including for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies, are reserved.
PY - 2026/3
Y1 - 2026/3
N2 - Structural health monitoring is a well-established field for carbon fiber composites, a class of materials prevalent in ballistic protection systems. However, real-time damage monitoring within bulletproof structures remains largely unexplored. This study used gallium-indium liquid metal, which possessed fluidity and high conductivity, to fabricate flexible sensing material and explore its potential application on bulletproof plates. The relationship between microstructural deformation of the sensors and their electrical response under low-velocity impact loading conditions still remains unclear. The gallium-indium liquid metal flexible sensors were fabricated by the flexible electronic printing equipment. The mechanical and electrical responses of the sensors under quasi-static and dynamic loading conditions were investigated, and the microstructural evolution and failure mechanisms of the liquid-metal traces under different deformation and failure modes were analyzed. This work designed damage sensing grids and combined them with ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene plates to validate the damage localization functionality. The results showed that the liquid metal flexible sensor exhibited a wide strain range (up to 60%), excellent repeatability (the resistance amplitude remained stable after 500 cycles of repeated loading), and a significant piezoresistive effect under bending and low-velocity impact. Additionally, the failure modes of the sensor under tensile, bending, and impact conditions were also investigated. These failures obstructed current flow, leading to increased resistance or even circuit breakage. The fabricated damage-sensing composite device demonstrated damage localization within a spatial range of (±2 mm) × (±2 mm), with successful trials/total trials = 4/5.
AB - Structural health monitoring is a well-established field for carbon fiber composites, a class of materials prevalent in ballistic protection systems. However, real-time damage monitoring within bulletproof structures remains largely unexplored. This study used gallium-indium liquid metal, which possessed fluidity and high conductivity, to fabricate flexible sensing material and explore its potential application on bulletproof plates. The relationship between microstructural deformation of the sensors and their electrical response under low-velocity impact loading conditions still remains unclear. The gallium-indium liquid metal flexible sensors were fabricated by the flexible electronic printing equipment. The mechanical and electrical responses of the sensors under quasi-static and dynamic loading conditions were investigated, and the microstructural evolution and failure mechanisms of the liquid-metal traces under different deformation and failure modes were analyzed. This work designed damage sensing grids and combined them with ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene plates to validate the damage localization functionality. The results showed that the liquid metal flexible sensor exhibited a wide strain range (up to 60%), excellent repeatability (the resistance amplitude remained stable after 500 cycles of repeated loading), and a significant piezoresistive effect under bending and low-velocity impact. Additionally, the failure modes of the sensor under tensile, bending, and impact conditions were also investigated. These failures obstructed current flow, leading to increased resistance or even circuit breakage. The fabricated damage-sensing composite device demonstrated damage localization within a spatial range of (±2 mm) × (±2 mm), with successful trials/total trials = 4/5.
KW - damage sensing
KW - electromechanical response
KW - gallium-indium liquid metal
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105034486925
U2 - 10.1088/1361-665X/ae4b79
DO - 10.1088/1361-665X/ae4b79
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105034486925
SN - 0964-1726
VL - 35
JO - Smart Materials and Structures
JF - Smart Materials and Structures
IS - 3
M1 - 035017
ER -