Optimal placement of MEMS sensors for damage detection in composite plates

Objective: Inertial Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) have recently been proposed as sensing components of surface-mounted structural health monitoring systems aimed to detect damage in flexible plates, subjected to either quasi-static or dynamic loadings. Method: In this paper, we discuss a topology optimization approach to smartly deploy an array of MEMS accelerometers over thin flexible plates, partially allowing for scattering in their placement. Result: We assume damage (i.e. a reduction of the local bending stiffness of the plate) to be located anywhere, and we show how boundary conditions, symmetry conditions and the stacking sequence in case of a composite laminate can affect the optimal sensor placement.