This paper outlines cryogenic Y-joint testing at Langley Research Center (LaRC) to validate the performance
of optical fiber Bragg grating strain sensors for measuring strain at liquid helium temperature (-240°C). This testing
also verified survivability of fiber sensors after experiencing 10 thermal cool-down, warm-up cycles and 400 limit load
cycles. Graphite composite skins bonded to a honeycomb substrate in a sandwich configuration comprised the Y-joint
specimens. To enable SHM of composite cryotanks for consideration to future spacecraft, a light-weight, durable
monitoring technology is needed. The fiber optic distributed Bragg grating strain sensing system developed at LaRC is
a viable substitute for conventional strain gauges which are not practical for SHM. This distributed sensing technology
uses an Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometer (OFDR). This measurement approach has the advantage that it can
measure hundreds of Bragg grating sensors per fiber and the sensors are all written at one frequency, greatly simplifying
fiber manufacturing. Fiber optic strain measurements compared well to conventional strain gauge measurements
obtained during these tests. These results demonstrated a high potential for a successful implementation of a SHM
system incorporating LaRC's fiber optic sensing system on the composite cryotank and other future cryogenic
applications.
The research reported herein includes the fabrication of a tunable optical fiber Bragg grating (FBG) fiber ring laser (FRL)1 from commercially available components as a high-speed alternative tunable laser source for NASA Langley's optical frequency domain reflectometer (OFDR) interrogator, which reads low reflectivity FBG sensors. A Macro-Fiber Composite (MFC) actuator invented at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) was selected to tune the laser. MFC actuators use a piezoelectric sheet cut into uniaxially aligned rectangular piezo-fibers surrounded by a polymer matrix and incorporate interdigitated electrodes to deliver electric fields along the length of the piezo-fibers. This configuration enables MFC actuators to produce displacements larger than the original uncut piezoelectric sheet. The FBG filter was sandwiched between two MFC actuators, and when strained, produced approximately 3.62 nm of wavelength shift in the FRL when biasing the MFC actuators from -500 V to 2000 V. This tunability range is comparable to that of other tunable lasers and is adequate for interrogating FBG sensors using OFDR technology. Three different FRL configurations were studied. Configuration A examined the importance of erbium-doped fiber length and output coupling. Configuration B demonstrated the importance of the FBG filter. Configuration C added an output coupler to increase the output power and to isolate the filter. Only configuration C was tuned because it offered the best optical power output of the three configurations. Use of Plastic Optical Fiber (POF) FBG's holds promise for enhanced tunability in future research.
The demand for high safety and reliability standards for aerospace vehicles has resulted in time-consuming periodic on-ground inspections. These inspections usually call for the disassembling and reassembling of the vehicle, which can lead to damage or degradation of structures or auxiliary systems. In order to increase aerospace vehicle safety and reliability while reducing the cost of inspection, an on-board real-time structural health monitoring sensing system is required. There are a number of systems that can be used to monitor the structures of aerospace vehicles. Fiber optic sensors have been at the forefront of the health monitoring sensing system research. Most of the research has been focused on the development of Bragg grating-based fiber optic sensors. Along with the development of fiber Bragg grating sensors has been the development of a grating measurement technique based on the principle of optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR), which enables the interrogation of hundreds of low reflectivity Bragg gratings. One drawback of these measurement systems is the 1 - 3 Hz measurement speed, which is limited by commercially available tunable lasers. The development of high-speed fiber stretching mechanisms to provide high rate tunable Erbium-doped optical fiber lasers can alleviate this drawback. One successful approach used a thin-layer composite unimorph ferroelectric driver and sensor (THUNDER) piezoelectric actuator, and obtained 5.3-nm wavelength shift. To eliminate the mechanical complexity of the THUNDER actuator, the research reported herein uses the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) Macro-Fiber Composite (MFC) actuator to tune Bragg grating based optical fibers.
This paper describes the use of a fiber optic system to measure strain at thousands of locations along optical fibers where weakly reflecting Bragg gratings have been photoetched. The optical fibers were applied to an advanced composite transport wing long with conventional foil strain gages. A comparison of the fiber optic and foil gage systems used for this test will be presented including: a brief description of both strain data systems; a discussion of the process used for installation of the optical fiber; comparative data from the composite wing test; the processes used for the location and display of the high density fiber optic data. Calibration data demonstrating the potential accuracy of the fiber optic system will also be presented. The opportunities for industrial and commercial applications will be discussed. The fiber optic technique is shown to be a valuable augmentation to foil strain gages providing insight to structural behavior previously requiring reliance on modeling.
A method of stretching optical fiber holds interest for measuring strain in smart structures where the physical displacement may be used to tune optical fiber lasers. A small, lightweight, low power tunable fiber laser is ideal for demodulating strain in optical fiber Bragg gratings attached to smart structures such as the re-usable launch vehicle that is begin developed by NASA. A method is presented for stretching optical fibers using the THUNDER piezoelectric actuators invented at NASA Langley Research Center. THUNDER actuators use a piezoelectric layer bonded to a metal backing to enable the actuators to produce displacements larger than the unbonded piezoelectric material. The shift in reflected optical wavelength resulting from stretching the fiber Bragg grating is presented. Means of adapting THUNDER actuators for stretching optical fibers is discussed, including ferrules, ferrule clamp blocks, and plastic hinges made with stereo lithography.
A new technique is presented for active distributed fiber sensing for interrogating structural integrity and environmental monitoring using an innovation in low power integrated compact tunable fiber optic laser capability.
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