Abstract
A pressure sensor specified for aerodynamic applications and based on optical fibre strain sensors mounted on a circular glass fibre reinforced polymer membrane is presented. The use of two fibre optic strain sensing technologies is explored, the novel intrinsic fibre segment interferometry (FSI) approach and fibre Bragg gratings (FBGs), with the use of FSI shown to offer a pressure resolution that is 15 times larger than that achieved using an FBG. A number of design and fabrication issues are considered, including the position of the fibres relative to the neutral axis of the membrane and the influence of the membrane support structure on the thermal and pressure sensitivities of the sensor, with particular regards to pressure and temperature discrimination.
Highlights
The understanding of complex flows around aerodynamic structures is of importance in areas ranging from gas turbines to airframes and automobiles
We recently reported a new approach to the demodulation of the signals from an array of intrinsic interferometric fibre optic strain sensors, terme√d fibre segment interferometry (FSI), that is capable of providing a strain resolution of sub nε/ Hz [22]
The pressure measurement provided by the Texance PDif pressure sensor is shown on the right-hand y-axis, while the strains measured by each of the fibre sensor elements are shown on the left-hand y-axis
Summary
The understanding of complex flows around aerodynamic structures is of importance in areas ranging from gas turbines to airframes and automobiles. The variables of interest for a basic aerodynamic analysis of a structure are its geometry and the local strain, pressure and temperature. There is increasing interest in the use of optical fibres to fulfil these measurement needs [6], as they offer a number of widely accepted benefits, including their small dimensions, light weight, the ability to multiplex arrays of sensors and the potential for embeddment in fibre reinforced polymer structures. The use of intrinsic optical fibre based approaches, where the properties of the modes propagating within the fibre core are perturbed by environmental parameters such as temperature and strain, is well-established across a number of industrial sectors, with the fibre Bragg grating (FBG) being perhaps the approach most widely adopted for multiplexed point sensing [7]. The use of optical fibre based shape sensors on aerodynamic structures has been reported [8]
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