Comparative analysis of mechanoluminescence material (ZnS:Mn) and strain gauge sensor

In the era of the Internet of Things, there has been an increase in the adoption of sensing technologies in Structural Health Monitoring applications. With the development of new materials and technologies, structural health monitoring of civil structures is carried out at a faster rate to prevent structural failure. Structural health monitoring (SHM) refers to damage prediction of structures on its performance. The SHM system using sensors networks provides a structural response on a real-time basis. In the 21st century, smart materials have a significant role in civil engineering and constitute an important part of smart building systems. As a new innovative smart material, Mechanoluminescence (ML) material is widely applicable in various fields. In the present work, one of the brightest Mechanoluminescent material, ZnS:Mn is employed. For this work, ZnS:Mn material and strain gauge sensor were surface mounted on the test specimen. The data acquisition of strain was done with the help of Arduino microcontroller and Arduino IDE Software. For the validation purpose, loading conditions are applied on a test specimen and readings are recorded in the Arduino IDE Software. The present work evaluates strain measurements that can benefit many SHM applications and can be initiated as a diagnostic method.