Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Taif University, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia.
Sensors (Basel). 2024 Mar 14;24(6):1859. doi: 10.3390/s24061859.
The three-dimensional (3D) force sensor has become essential in industrial and medical applications. The existing conventional 3D force sensors quantify the three-direction force components at a point of interest or extended contact area. However, they are typically made of rigid, complex structures and expensive materials, making them hard to implement in different soft or fixable industrial and medical applications. In this work, a new flexible 3D force sensor based on polymer nanocomposite (PNC) sensing elements was proposed and tested for its sensitivity to forces in the 3D space. Multi-walled carbon nanotube/polyvinylidene fluoride (MWCNT/PVDF) sensing element films were fabricated using the spray coating technique. The MWCNTs play an essential role in strain sensitivity in the sensing elements. They have been utilized for internal strain measurements of the fixable 3D force sensor's structure in response to 3D forces. The MWCNT/PVDF was selected for its high sensitivity and capability to measure high and low-frequency forces. Four sensing elements were distributed into a cross-beam structure configuration, the most typically used solid 3D force sensor. Then, the sensing elements were inserted between two silicone rubber layers to enhance the sensor's flexibility. The developed sensor was tested under different static and dynamic loading scenarios and exhibited excellent sensitivity and ability to distinguish between tension and compression force directions. The proposed sensor can be implemented in vast applications, including soft robotics and prostheses' internal forces of patients with limb amputations.
三维（3D）力传感器在工业和医疗应用中变得至关重要。现有的传统 3D 力传感器可量化感兴趣点或扩展接触区域的三个方向的力分量。然而，它们通常由刚性、复杂的结构和昂贵的材料制成，因此难以在不同的软质或可固定的工业和医疗应用中实施。在这项工作中，提出了一种新的基于聚合物纳米复合材料（PNC）传感元件的柔性 3D 力传感器，并对其在 3D 空间中力的灵敏度进行了测试。多壁碳纳米管/聚偏二氟乙烯（MWCNT/PVDF）传感元件膜是使用喷涂技术制造的。MWCNT 在传感元件的应变灵敏度中起着至关重要的作用。它们已被用于固定 3D 力传感器结构的内部应变测量，以响应 3D 力。选择 MWCNT/PVDF 是因为它具有高灵敏度和测量高频和低频力的能力。四个传感元件分布在一个十字梁结构配置中，这是最常用的固体 3D 力传感器。然后，将传感元件插入两个硅橡胶层之间，以增强传感器的灵活性。所开发的传感器在不同的静态和动态加载情况下进行了测试，表现出出色的灵敏度和区分拉伸和压缩力方向的能力。所提出的传感器可以应用于广泛的应用，包括软机器人和假肢患者肢体截肢后的内部力。
