Bistatic Microwave Sensor for In-Situ Composite Inspection and Structural Health Monitoring

Monitoring composite structures, such as wind turbines, for damage is an application of critical concern. While nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods have been proposed to address these needs, they often require costly downtime while the inspection is being conducted. Therefore, minimally invasive, self-contained, in-situ methods such as sensors are of interest. This work proposes a low-power bistatic patch antenna-based microwave sensor system that could be used to meet these inspection needs. The design of the system, as well as simulations and measurements, are shown to provide a proof-of-concept of this approach.