Optical fibre-based reflective displacement sensor: computer modelling and application to impact detection in aeronautical structures

Abstract

Impact detection is used as proof of concept to demonstrate that the design principle of optical fibre-based reflective displacement sensors is versatile enough to fit applications that go beyond the original concept for which they were designed, i.e. Tip Clearance and Tip Timing. For that, a custom software has been created that allows to find the best fibre arrangement within the fibre bundle that matches the specifications of the target application. After fabricating the fibre bundle, the validity and usefulness of the simulations have been assessed by means of laboratory measurements on the reflective displacement sensor. Finally some preliminary impact tests have been carried out to confirm the previous work.