Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Powered WSN for Aircraft Structural Health Monitoring

In this work, we present the design and prototype of a selfpowered sensor node for the aircraft structural health monitoring. The sensor node is powered by the ambient vibrations generated by the aircraft wings. Sensing devices perform the comprehensive condition monitoring of structures and systems, as well as measurement of environmental parameters, e.g. ambient temperature, ionizing radiation levels, to help operators in assessing the aircraft status at every stage of its mission. With the wireless communication the sensor nodes can be networked with no need for wiring which implies extra weight on board.