Abstract:In this paper, we propose a method for monitoring surface defects like cracks in highly loaded structures. This method is based on the ability of surface cracks to open under the influence of external loads, thus causing the appearance of stresses and tears in the sensitive element-thin films that were deposited on the surface of the test object. We developed a system for monitoring surface defects based on a distributed crack sensor, the functional scheme of the sensor and its design, the structural scheme and algorithm of the system operation, and its model as a VHDL (VHSIC (Very high speed integrated circuits) Hardware Description Language)-description.