Abstract
Aircraft operators are faced with increasing requirements to extend the service life of air platforms beyond their designed life cycles, resulting in heavy maintenance and inspection burdens as well as economic pressure. Structural health monitoring (SHM) based on advanced sensor technology is potentially a cost-effective approach to meet operational requirements, and to reduce maintenance costs. Fiber optic sensor technology is being developed to provide existing and future aircrafts with SHM capability due to its unique superior characteristics. This review paper covers the aerospace SHM requirements and an overview of the fiber optic sensor technologies. In particular, fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor technology is evaluated as the most promising tool for load monitoring and damage detection, the two critical SHM aspects of air platforms. At last, recommendations on the implementation and integration of FBG sensors into an SHM system are provided.
Highlights
It is well known that a significant number of military aircraft fleets around the world are operating beyond their design life cycle
The recent trends in fiber Bragg grating (FBG)-sensor based structural health monitoring for aircraft structures include the in-situ detection of structural strain, the hybrid use of FBG sensors and acoustic inspections designed for the damage detection inside the structures, and the highly multiplexed FBG sensor system for other structural related parameters detection
Industrial leaders in FBG sensors have published commercial solutions, such as a 17-FBG-sensor system developed by Micron Optics for monitoring operational load and temperature in a personal aircraft [26] and an FBG sensor based Structural health monitoring (SHM) system with a sampling rate in excess of 8 kHz developed by Insensys (UK) [in collaboration with Bell Helicopters and United Technologies Research
Summary
It is well known that a significant number of military aircraft fleets around the world are operating beyond their design life cycle. Conventional schedule-based inspections contribute greatly to the safety and reliability of these platforms, they are the main contributors to the high operation costs [3]. These periodic on-ground inspections might require the disassembly and reassembly of inspected components, further increasing the potential for introducing damage and degradation of structures and auxiliary systems, such as electrical wiring and hydraulic lines [4]. The recent trends in FBG-sensor based structural health monitoring for aircraft structures include the in-situ detection of structural strain, the hybrid use of FBG sensors and acoustic inspections designed for the damage detection inside the structures, and the highly multiplexed FBG sensor system for other structural related parameters detection. Recommendations of an FBG sensor based aircraft SHM system for the monitoring of both operational load and damage are proposed
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