Low-cost fiber Bragg grating interrogation system for in situ assessment of structures

Abstract

A project targeted at developing a low-cost fiber optic interrogator system for fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors has been completed, and has resulted in a stand-alone system that can be used in multiple applications. The interrogator system, tailored as a potential solution for embedded strain sensing in composite wind turbine blades, was recently tested and its performance validated at the Infrastructure Assurance & Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI) department at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). The test specimen used to test the system consisted of a single fiber optic cable with six FBG sensors embedded in a 36-ply fiberglass composite specimen. The FBG sensors were installed around a series of known engineered flaws. Six foil type resistive strain gauges were bonded to the composite specimen surface and co-located with the six embedded FBG sensors. The fiber optic interrogator was used to sample the FBG sensors and an independent data acquisition system was used to sample the foil strain gauges. The test specimen was subjected to a series of static loads and the results from both the foil strain gauges and the FBG sensors were compared. Results from the analysis show a good correlation between the embedded FBG sensors and the foil strain gauges.