Health Monitoring Of Aerospace Structures Research Articles

Health Monitoring of Aerospace Structures Using Fibre Bragg Gratings Combined with Advanced Signal Processing and Pattern Recognition Techniques

Abstract: The main purpose of this work is to develop an innovative system for structural health monitoring of aerospace composite structures based on real‐time dynamic strain measurements. The dynamic response of a composite panel, which represents a section of a typical aeronautical structure, is measured using fibre Bragg grating (FBG) dynamic sensors. Damage is simulated by slightly varying locally the mass of the panel at different zones of the structure. A finite element model of the structure has been developed to simulate the dynamic behaviour based on the modal superposition principle. The numerical model was calibrated against experimental results, and it was used for the placement of the FBG sensors. The proposed damage detection algorithm utilises the collected dynamic response data, and through various levels of data processing, an artificial neural network identifies the damage size and location. Feature extraction is the first step of the algorithm. Novel digital signal processing techniques, such as the wavelet transform, are used for feature extraction. The extracted features are effective indices of damage location and its extension. The classification step comprises a feed‐forward back propagation network, whose output determines the simulated damage location. Finally, dedicated training and validation activities are carried out by means of numerical simulations and experimental procedures.

Fiber optic sensors for structural health monitoring of air platforms.

Aircraft operators are faced with increasing requirements to extend the service life of air platforms beyond their designed life cycles, resulting in heavy maintenance and inspection burdens as well as economic pressure. Structural health monitoring (SHM) based on advanced sensor technology is potentially a cost-effective approach to meet operational requirements, and to reduce maintenance costs. Fiber optic sensor technology is being developed to provide existing and future aircrafts with SHM capability due to its unique superior characteristics. This review paper covers the aerospace SHM requirements and an overview of the fiber optic sensor technologies. In particular, fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor technology is evaluated as the most promising tool for load monitoring and damage detection, the two critical SHM aspects of air platforms. At last, recommendations on the implementation and integration of FBG sensors into an SHM system are provided.

光ファイバセンサによる極低温でのひずみ計測技術とその航空宇宙分野における応用

Strain and temperature measurement, especially in cryogenic environments, was studied using fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors for the purpose of the aerospace structural health monitoring. Although the relationship between the applied strain and the Bragg wavelength shift was the same as that at room temperature, the temperature-wavelength relationship became non-linear under cryogenic environment. In order to show the applicability of the sensor in aerospace applications, FBG strain and temperature sensors were embedded in a composite liquid hydrogen tank and measured in the cryogenic and pressurized environment. Encapsulated and small-size temperature sensors were used in this article and the temperature drift of the strain sensor was compensated by using the output of the temperature sensor. It was revealed throughout the experiment that the optical power loss could be critical in the case of existing large temperature difference. The practical solution for this issue was also discussed in this article.

Structural Health Monitoring of Aerospace Structures with Sol-Gel Spray Sensors

A new approach is proposed for conducting structural health monitoring, based on newly developed piezoceramic sensors. They are fabricated by a sol-gel spray technique. The potential application of these sensors may be broad. These sensors have been evaluated for structural health monitoring studies. The purpose of the present study aims the detection and the localization of defects by the means of these new piezoceramic sensors. Nine sensors were integrated onto a metallic plate with moving masses. The plate was excited by an impact at a specific location and the vibratory signals from sensors were recorded simultaneously. The analysis of signals obtained from nine locations was correlated with a numerical simulation in order to identify at each time the location of the mass.

Health Monitoring of Composite Plates using Acoustic Wave Propagation, Continuous Sensors and Wavelet Analysis

Health monitoring of aerospace structures can be done passively by listening for acoustic waves generated by cracks, impact damage and delaminations, or actively by propagating diagnostic stress waves and interpreting the parameters that characterize the wave travel. This paper investigates modeling of flexural wave propagation in a plate and the design of sensors to detect damage in plates based on stress wave parameters. To increase understanding of the actual physical process of wave propagation, a simple model is developed to simulate wave propagation in a plate with boundaries. The waves can be simulated by applied forces and moments in the model either to represent passive damage growth or active wave generation using piezoceramic actuators. For active wave generation, the model considers a piezoceramic patch bonded perfectly to a quasi-isotropic glass-epoxy composite plate. Distributed sensors are used on the plate and are modeled as being constructed using active fiber composite and piezoceramic materials. For active wave generation, a moment impulse is generated by the actuation of a piezoceramic patch. The waves generated from the patch are detected by the distributed sensor. For passive sensing of acoustic waves, a step function is used to simulate an acoustic emission from a propagating damage. The resulting acoustic wave is measured by the distributed sensor and produces micro-strains in the sensor nodes. The strains produce a single voltage signal output from the distributed sensor. Computational simulations and animations of acoustic wave propagation in a plate are discussed in the article. A new method to locate the source of an acoustic emission using the time history of the dominant lower frequency components of the flexural wave mode detected by continuous sensors is also presented.