Course Modules on Structural Health Monitoring with Smart Materials

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is an emerging technology that has multiple applications. SHM emerged from the wide field of smart structures, and it also encompasses disciplines such as structural dynamics, materials and structures, nondestructive testing, sensors and actuators, data acquisition, signal processing, and possibly much more. To stimulate students’ desire for pursuing advanced technologies and to ensure that they are well prepared for their future careers, technology educators need to dedicate their efforts to educate the students with this emerging technology. At Jackson State University (JSU), three course modules (Smart Materials and Structures, Data Acquisition Systems, and Lamb Waves Generation & Detection) were added to the existing course to help undergraduate students develop hands-on experience for understanding this technology. The course modules did not require prior knowledge of software and hardware, and they all followed an applied, hands-on approach. These three course modules allowed students to gain insight into the SHM as well as to become knowledgeable users of the instrumentation.