Structural Health Monitoring with Fiber Bragg Grating and Piezo Arrays

IFOS and its research institute collaborator, Washington State University (WSU), have demonstrated feasibility of a structural health monitoring (SHM) system for aerospace vehicles such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or commercial airliners. In Phase 1, a unique high-speed, high-channel count fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor interrogation system enabling a new Lamb wave-based damage detection method was demonstrated. This SHM system allows accurate detection of damage in rectangular composite plates simultaneously collected from a plurality of strategically placed FBG sensors using relatively few piezo actuators. Utilization of structurally integrated, distributed sensors to monitor the health of a structure allows for high-speed collection and interpretation of sensor signals, coupled with real-time data processing. The proposed system provides automated diagnosis and prognosis capabilities, greatly reducing the overall inspection burden. Phase 2 is designed to advance the technology towards specific NASA flight research testbed platforms, particularly Ikhana. During Phase 2, IFOS will collaborate with prime system contractors to address challenges and risks associated with the intended operational environment, including (a) generation of a complete flight worthy design, (b) performance enhancement and ruggedization of the interrogator and sensors, (c) optimization of damage detection algorithms and their implementation, and (d) total system performance validation and evaluation.