Low Power, Low Cost, Lightweight, Multichannel Optical Fiber Interrogation Unit for Structural Health Management of Rotor Blades

Veraphotonics proposes to develop a novel wireless, low-power, compact, light-weight, multi-channel optical fiber based SHM system capable of measuring temperature, load, vibration, and AE responses corresponding to damages occurring in advanced materials and structures. Our novel sensing system consists of a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor array interrogated by a light-weight, low-power, stand-alone optical detection system combined with state-of-the-art multichannel wireless data acquisition node. Veraphotonics technology offers a number of advantages including compact sensors and miniaturized system-on-a-chip (SoC) based interrogation instrument which incorporates field programmable gate array (FPGA) based closed loop feedback control algorithms for robust sensor wavelength demodulation integrated with power conditioning for low power management and strain mapping software for strain data display. In Phase I, we will demonstrate the stand-alone, compact multi-channel interrogation system?s capability to wirelessly measure load, vibration, and AE response for monitoring composite rotor blade structures under loading. A strain mapping algorithm will also be developed to display strain and vibration data in real time. In Phase II, the low-power multifunctional sensor device will be developed for field use to monitor load history and detect damage presence and locations in helicopter rotor blades.