Head surface strain measurement based wireless bolt sensor with self temperature compensating

Abstract Bolt loosening detection is crucial for ensuring the safe operation of equipment. Loosened bolts are hard to detect, and if left undetected, it can lead to catastrophic failures, especially for numerous bolts in large-scale structures. Therefore, the development of distributed bolt monitoring method and related sensors is highly necessary. In this paper, a novel bolt preload sensor with self-temperature compensation is proposed, based on the strain distribution of the bolt head end face. This study enhances previous research by conducting a detailed analysis of strain distribution at the edge of the bolt head surface. The finite element analysis results show that the bolt preload has almost no effect on the circumferential strain in the edge region of bolt head surface. Based on this feature, the strain gauge is applied circumferentially along the edge of the bolt head face as a temperature compensation gauge. In this way, the measuring strain gauge and the temperature compensation gauge can be integrated on the surface of the bolt head, thus achieving self-temperature compensation for the sensor. An experimental device has been established and the experimental results show that the designed sensor has excellent linearity to the bolt preload and effective temperature compensation. For the monitoring of numerous bolts with a wide distribution, a wireless sensing network utilizing the proposed sensor has been designed. The proposed wireless bolt sensor is easy to install and replace, without redesigning or changing the existing structure, thus providing a simple and effective way to monitor large number of bolts with wide distribution.