Highly Reliable Structural Health Monitoring of Smart Composite Vanes for Jet Engine

In Phase 1, Intelligent Fiber Optic Systems (IFOS) successfully demonstrated a Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) based integrated Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) sensor system capable of providing in-situ crack detection, location, damage quantification and validation of structural models. The system offers advanced features to perform non-contact, non-destructive dynamic testing of composite structures. Tests were successfully carried out on composite coupons produced to mimic smart composite parts such as aircraft wings and jet engine vanes. The key innovation and achievement is an advanced system that monitors up to 48 ultra-sensitive FBG strain and temperature sensors at up to an unprecedented 1.0MHz, with damage identification, location and quantification algorithms. This represents a significant advancement in the state-of-the-art, enabling for the first time, the analysis of very high-frequency dynamic events for SHM. During Phase 2, IFOS will further develop the system and deliver a prototype complete with an instrumented wing test article to NASA for independent testing. IFOS will continue to work with its commercial partners to address applications in engine vanes and market opportunities where the technology has a significant advantage. The solution could potentially evolve into an autonomous onboard monitoring system to inspect and perform Non-Destructive Evaluation and SHM of high-value assets.