Development of In-Plane Surface Deformation Sensing for Thin Film PVDF Actuated Membrane Mirrors

This study investigated the feasibility of surface deformation sensing of a membrane mirror using only embedded PVDF sensors. Results were compared to measured deformations using a scanning laser vibrometer. The frequency response function (FRF) was measured based on recorded voltages of a singlelayer 7-sensor mirror actuated externally from the embedded PVDF actuators. Additionally, a two-layer, 7-sensor, 7-actuator membrane mirror was constructed for use, with one layer acting as the sensing layer and the other acting as the actuation layer. The measured FRF for this mirror was compared to previous results. Finally a single-layer 61-sensor PVDF mirror was constructed to experimentally investigate the practicality of denser sensor/actuators patterns. Experimental results for all configurations are presented.