Abstract
Impact detection in aeronautical structures allows predicting their future reliability and performance. An impact can produce microscopic fissures that could evolve into fractures or even the total collapse of the structure, so it is important to know the location and severity of each impact. For this purpose, optical fibers with Bragg gratings are used to analyze each impact and the vibrations generated by them. In this paper it is proven that optical fibers with Bragg gratings can be used to detect impacts, and also that a high-frequency interrogator is necessary to collect valuable information about the impacts. The use of two interrogators constitutes the main novelty of this paper.
Highlights
Nowadays, the use of sensors based on optical fibers [1] has increased considerably due to the inherent advantages of optical fibers, such as their low weight, their electromagnetic compatibility and the fact that, apart from their conventional applications, they can be employed for unconventional purposes, e.g., as biosensors [2]
The aim of this paper is to study the use of these Bragg gratings to detect changes in strain by measuring, at high frequency, the vibrations caused by low-speed impacts on an airplane structure [8]
A low-speed impact produces surface mechanical waves that travel along the whole structure, generating strain fluctuations that can be measured by fiberBragg gratings (FBGs)
Summary
The use of sensors based on optical fibers [1] has increased considerably due to the inherent advantages of optical fibers, such as their low weight, their electromagnetic compatibility and the fact that, apart from their conventional applications, they can be employed for unconventional purposes, e.g., as biosensors [2]. One of the markets in which they are increasingly being used is the aerospace industry [5], due to their low weight, absence of distortion in communications systems and the fact that they cannot produce sparks that could cause fires, since the transmission medium is optical instead of electrical. It has been reported in the literature that FBGs can detect variations in strain [6] and temperature [7]. Other objectives are to detect the position and the energy of the impact
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