Adaptive Fiber Optic Acoustic Emission Sensor (FAESense) System for Condition Based Maintenance

In Phase I of this program, Redondo Optics Inc. (ROI), proposes to design, build, and demonstrate to the Navy a next generation, stand-alone and fully integrated, dynamically reconfigurable, adaptive fiber optic acoustic emission sensor (FAESense™) system for the in-situ unattended detection and localization of shock events, impact damage, cracks, voids, and delaminations in new and aging DoD critical infrastructures found in ships, submarines, aircraft, and in next generation weapon systems. ROI’s FAESense™ system is based on the integration of proven state-of-the-art technologies: 1) distributed array of in-line fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) sensors sensitive to strain, vibration, and acoustic emissions, 2) adaptive spectral demodulation of FBG sensor dynamic signals using two-wave mixing interferometry on photorefractive semiconductors, and 3) integration of all the sensor system passive and active opto-electronic components at the microchip level. In Phase II the FAESense™ system will be fully engineer and package for extensive testing and qualification on selected Navy platforms. In Phase III the FAESense™ technology will be transition to Navy operations, other DoD branches, and the commercial sector.