Flexible Mica-Based PZT Sensor for Real-Time Monitoring of the Airflow

Pipeline leakage causes enormous safety and economic concerns; therefore, sensors which are high-performance and durable are in high demand for improving monitoring accuracy and for avoiding economic loss. In this work, mica-based flexible PZT sensors showed high sensitivity, with 140 mV N-1 and 467 mV N-1 for the output voltage, with regard to the tapping and bending modes, respectively. They can monitor airflow in normal conditions with high sensitivity and a linearity of 424 mV MPa-1 and 0.99, respectively. In the event of a pipeline leak, the mica-based sensors exhibited a rapid response time as short as 0.578 s. Furthermore, they generated distinct voltage levels at different distances from the leakage point, thus providing valuable information for accurately locating the source of the leakage.