Use of Optical Fibers for Structural Health Monitoring of Aircraft Components

One of the emerging techniques for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) which is becoming popular in the aircraft industry involves the use of optical fiber sensors due to their ease of integration, resistance to electromagnetic interference and low signal attenuation over long distances. This thesis describes a validated technique for optical fiber embedment and extraction of data from optical fiber sensors to measure strain and modulus of elasticity. In this research, a novel method to address ingress/egress points of optical fiber has been developed; a surface mounted component has been designed and manufactured using rapid prototyping for the protection of embedded optical fibers at the ingress/egress points to provide safety and integrity to optical fibers during manufacturing as well as cutting operation. The thesis also focuses on the study of mechanical strength of composites with embedded optical fibers. Finally, strain experienced by the material was obtained using integrated optical fiber sensors.