'Sensing skin' spots cracks and harmful substances in structures

Researchers have developed a multi-layered ‘sensing skin’ to detect corrosive or otherwise harmful substances in structures.

Developed at North Carolina State University (NC State), the skin can also detect cracks and other structural flaws that are otherwise invisible to the naked eye.

"We've created a skin that can be applied to the surface of almost any structure and be used to monitor the structure's integrity remotely and in real time, identifying potential problems long before they become catastrophic," said Mohammad Pour-Ghaz, an assistant professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper describing the work.

According to NC State, the sensing skin consists of three layers, which can be painted onto the surface of a structure or pre-assembled and attached to the surface.

The first layer is electrically conductive and is used to detect cracks. The second layer serves as a buffer between the first and third layers. The third layer detects cracks, but is also engineered to detect specific chemicals of interest.