Design of continuous strain-type sensors for systems of structural mechanics

In this paper we present a general approach for designing continuous strain-type sensors to measure specific kinematical entities in systems of structural mechanics. We first discuss the case of three-dimensional bodies in the geometrically linear regime, for which the solution of the sensor design problem is found from a problem-oriented application of a work-based integral formulation to an auxiliary problem of statics; yet, the resulting sensor works for static and dynamic problems. The deduction of solutions for the sensor design problem on a structural mechanics level is straightforward, because the three-dimensional solution is work-based. Hence, for any theory of structural mechanics, for which a corresponding work-based integral formulation exists, we can easily find a solution of the sensor design problem.