In-situ monitoring of materials is a great problem in the field of structural health monitoring. The ability to receive real time data relaying the condition of a body is an elusive but invaluable goal. Even more difficult is monitoring the continuous body rather than a small subset of discrete points which may or may not represent the health of the whole body. The final challenge, specific to elastomeric materials, is to develop a sensor capable of surviving a great deal of strain as the body bends, flexes, and stretches during typical operation.
This thesis provides a solution to these problems by exploring the development and performance of a continuous sensor skin. This skin has been carefully developed to survive the operational metrics of steel reinforced hydraulic hoses. This thesis explores several avenues for development with a focus on thosewhichshowpromiseinhydraulichoseapplications. Severaldifferenttheoriesofhowthesensor may operate are discussed in detail while the three most common failure modes are tested: puncture, tear, and foreign object damage.