Vol. 85, Issue 11, November 2007, pp.1757-1764

Flexible Membrane Impact Sensor via Thick Film Method

^1,*Hee C. LIM, ²James ZUNINO III and ¹John F. FEDERICI

¹ New Jersey Institute of Technology, Physics Department,

Tiernan Hall, 161 Warren St., Newark, NJ 07103-3537

²U.S. Army RDE Command, AMSRD-AAR-AEE-P, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ 07806-4525

^*E-mail: HCL4186@njit.edu

Received: 1 November 2007   /Accepted: 20 November 2007   /Published: 26 November 2007

Abstract: A piezoresistive based impact or contact sensor on flexible polyimide substrate is constructed with pressure sensitive electrically conductive polymer composites with a Shore “A” hardness of 78 and nano silver inks using thick film method. Optimum design layouts of the sensor’s electrode pair spacing of the polymer based impact sensor are modeled. The transducer resistance change has an exponential decay relationship upon external impulse activation. A shock and vibration test bench is build to test the fabricated impact sensors. The loading time dependence of the conductive polymer transducer electrical resistance at constant pressure is investigated. The conductive polymer transducer electrical resistance response is found to be stabilized after about 6 sec. A theory is also formulated to explain the observed negative exponential response. An environmental chamber is used to test the conductive polymer transducer’s thermal response in the cycling range of 25^oC to 80^oC.

Keywords: Flexible substrate, Impact sensor, Membrane

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