Design of testing device for piezocomposite sensors

Presented bachelor’s thesis describes the design and the following assembly of a device used for testing MFC sensors. In the first part, fundamental theoretical findings regarding main properties of the sensors are listed, including their description and comparison with other piezoelectric materials. Available methods for measuring a response from the sensor are mentioned sequentially by means of applied stress (tension/compression, bending, torsion). The second part focuses on realization of the device based on the chosen physical principle for loading the tested specimen, to which the sensor is firmly attached. Construction of the device is designed and adjusted to meet the input requirements and boundary conditions for bending. Both hardware and software are selected to simulate the specific form of mechanical loading. The last part involvesstatic measurements of deformations on the specimen using a charge amplifier, as well as modelling of various dynamic cycles sensed by utilizing a load resistor. Voltage signal from the sensor is converted to strain, which is further transformed into deflection for measurement verification, and finally, the functionality of the entire device is evaluated