Piezoresistive Self-Sensing 3D-Printed Ceramic Corrugated Trusses Enabled by Embedded Continuous Carbon Fiber Networks

Leveraging the excellent mechanical and piezoresistive properties of continuous carbon fiber (CCF), this study investigated the feasibility of embedding CCF networks into 3D-printed ceramic corrugated trusses for in situ stress sensing and damage detection. The self-sensing characteristics and piezoresistive response of the trusses were systematically evaluated. Results confirm a significant piezoresistive effect, where the electrical resistance changes continuously and consistently with applied load. The sensitivity of resistance to load decreased with the increase of load. The trusses with higher load-bearing capacity exhibited superior sensitivity. The piezoresistive response demonstrated high accuracy, stability, and repeatability, with a rapid response time of approximately 0.12 s. The normalized resistance change (ΔR/R₀) showed synchronous correspondence with variations in both load and sample state during loading. Furthermore, the trusses maintained precise self-sensing performance under complex loading conditions, including alternating incremental loads and multiple cycles with varying amplitudes. These findings indicate that real-time monitoring of resistance changes can effectively reveal the stress state of the truss structures, enabling identification and early warning of incipient damage, thereby demonstrating great potential for integrated structural health monitoring in advanced ceramic components.