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A flexible microfluidic super-capacitive pressure sensor is developed to measure the surface pressure of a complex structure. The innovative sensor contains a filter paper filled with ionic liquid, and coated with two indium tin oxide polyethylene terephthalate (ITO-PET) films on the top and bottom, respectively. When external pressure is applied on the top ITO-PET film of the sensor mounted on the surface of an aircraft, the capacitance between the two ITO-PET films will change because of the deformation of the top ITO-PET film. The external pressure will be determined based on the change of the capacitance. Compared to the traditional pressure sensor, the developed sensor provides a high sensitivity of up to 178.5 nF/KPa and rapid dynamic responses for pressure measurement. Meanwhile, experiments are also conducted to study the influence of the thickness of the sensing film, sensing area, temperature, and humidity.

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is increasingly being considered by the aerospace industry as a new and innovative technique to enhance the safety and reliability of structures, maximize structure operational efficiency, and minimize their operational cost. This article summarizes the latest developments in SHM systems based on SMART Layer technology in aerospace‐related applications. The systems consist of three major components: sensor/actuator network, integrated hardware, and diagnostic software. Two types of SHM systems in terms of their applications are introduced: one is the onboard system and the other is the off‐board system. The onboard SHM system has all components integrated with the host structures, and data can be automatically taken and processed. However, the off‐board system requires only the sensor network to be integrated with the structures, while the hardware and software are detached from the structures and form a portable stand‐alone unit. Data are taken only when the unit is reconnected to the sensor network. A variety of applications of both onboard and off‐board systems are discussed, including monitoring damage in composite pressure vessels and large composite barrels, cracks in the pipes of liquid rocket engines, multisite damage in riveted joints, bondlines in composite repairs, detection of impacts on the thermal protection systems (TPS) of space vehicles, and monitoring composite rocket motor cases.