Use of piezoelectric foils as tools for structural health monitoring of freight cars during exploitation

Work presents a task of piezoelectric foils application for structural health monitoring of freight cars during their exploitation. Results of laboratory tests conducted on a created in scale laboratory model of the freight car are presented. The possibility of inferred from the dynamic response of the model about the changes in its technical condition was verified. During the first test the model was treated as a half-determined system. In order to excite vibrations a pendulum was used. Measurements were carried out using accelerometers. During the next stage of carried out tests the dynamical response of the model was measured while the object was driving. In order to measure vibrations of the system a Macro Fiber Composite (MFC) piezoelectric foil was used. It was glued on the surface of the model. A series of tests of the model with and without load, as well as with an obstacle on the rail track was carried out. Measured signals were juxtaposed on charts and analysed.