Engineers at the University of Delaware are developing a new method for monitoring the structural health of infrastructure based on the use of a “smart skin” made of a carbon nanotube composite. The composite is mechanically robust and can adhere to practically any shape, meaning it can be used to monitor the health of roads, bridges and other structures.
Electrical Impedance TomographyThe smart skin uses a technique called electrical impedance tomography (EIT) to indicate which areas of the structure may be compromised. EIT makes use of surface electrode measurements to map the two-dimensional conductivity of the skin’s surface. The researchers tested a square of the carbon nanotube composite, with 32 evenly spaced electrodes along the boundary, to measure the surface conductivity.