Distributed Strain Sensing Using Electrical Time Domain Reflectometry With Nanocomposites

The objective of this study is to validate distributed strain sensing using electrical time domain reflectometry (ETDR) with multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-based thin film sensing elements. The proposed ETDR sensor composed of two types of transmission lines: parallel-wire-type transmission line and parallel-plate-type transmission line, (i.e., with MWCNT-based sensing elements). The hypothesis was that the greater strain-induced impedance changes of the nanocomposite would enhance ETDR sensing performance. In this paper, four different types of ETDR sensing elements were subjected to one-cycle uniaxial tensile strains to validate strain sensing. Three sensing elements were then integrated in an ETDR setup, and strain patterns were applied for validating their distributed strain sensing behavior.