Abstract
This article is devoted to the instrumentation, with optical fibres, of the straps holding the envelope of stratospheric balloons. This instrumentation is motivated in the first instance by the need to validate the numerical models used in the design of balloons. It must also be used to measure the temperature along the envelope in order to deduce the pressure field. It is shown at first that the optical fibres can be inserted inside a strap during its fabrication. Different kinds of insertion are considered, none of them perturb the industrial process. The instrumented straps were then submitted to thermal and mechanical tests and the distributed Brillouin frequency shifts were measured. We thus determined the type of insertion to be used according to the parameter (temperature or strain) to be measured and assessed the performance of the measurement chain.
Highlights
Stratospheric balloons have been used for a very long time to carry out scientific payloads: atmospheric monitoring measurements or astronomical measurements [1]
The design of stratospheric balloon envelopes is moving from an empirical approach to a more systematic approach that starts from scientific needs and relies on mechanical models including laws of behavior of specific materials [6,7,8,9], to define the size of the envelope and the tests to be performed
As a conclusion of these tests, recommendations are given on the method we consider optimal for inserting optical fibres into stratospheric balloon straps
Summary
Stratospheric balloons have been used for a very long time to carry out scientific payloads: atmospheric monitoring measurements (e.g., temperature, pressure, CO2 , presence of aerosols, wind, etc.) or astronomical measurements [1]. The design of stratospheric balloon envelopes is moving from an empirical approach to a more systematic approach that starts from scientific needs (payload, altitude, flight duration) and relies on mechanical models including laws of behavior of specific materials [6,7,8,9], to define the size of the envelope and the tests to be performed. During these tests, embedded sensors should measure the exact shape of the envelope. As a conclusion of these tests, recommendations are given on the method we consider optimal for inserting optical fibres into stratospheric balloon straps
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