In this study we measure the in situ response of a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor embedded in the adhesive layer of a single composite lap joint, subjected to harmonic excitation after fatigue loading. After a fully reversed cyclic fatigue loading is applied to the composite lap joint, the full-spectral response of the sensor is interrogated at 100 kHz during two loading conditions: with and without an added harmonic excitation. The full-spectral information avoided dynamic measurement errors often experienced using conventional peak wavelength and edge filtering techniques. The short-time Fourier transform (STFT) is computed for the extracted peak wavelength information to reveal time-dependent frequencies and amplitudes of the dynamic FBG sensor response. The dynamic response of the FBG sensor indicated a transition to strong nonlinear dynamic behavior as fatigue-induced damage progressed. The ability to measure the dynamic response of the lap joint through sensors embedded in the adhesive layer can provide in situ monitoring of the lap joint condition.

In this paper, we simulate the response of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors embedded in the adhesive layer of a composite lap that is subjected to harmonic excitation. To simulate accumulated fatigue damage at the adhesive layer, two forms of numerical nonlinearities are introduced into the model: (1) progressive plastic deformation of the adhesive and (2) changing the boundary of an interfacial defect at the adhesive layer across the overlap shear area. The simulation results are compared with previous measurements of the dynamic, full-spectral response of such FBG sensors for condition monitoring of the lap joint. Short-time Fourier transforms (STFT) of the locally extracted axial strain time histories reveal a transition to nonlinear behavior of the composite lap joint by means of intermittent frequencies that were observed in the experimental measurements and are not associated with the external excitation. The simulation results verify that the nonlinear changes in measured dynamic FBG responses are due to the progression of damage in the lap joint.

We evaluate the performance of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors for the measurement of dynamic strains in complex composite structures. The particular structure used in this study is an integrally stiffened composite panel for which the stiffeners and skin are fabricated in a single layup and cure process. Surface-mounted FBG sensors are bonded to the panels after curing, whereas embedded FBG sensors are successfully incorporated during the fabrication process. A finite element model was also constructed of the stiffened panel. The panels were subjected to repeated impacts and the post-impact vibration response of the panel was measured through the FBG sensor responses. Little change to the global response of the panel was observed after the repeated impacts, through the dynamic response of the surface-mounted FBGs. Pulsed phase thermography and micro-computer-tomography imaging of the panel confirmed that the damage was localized near the impact locations, producing negligible changes to the global response of the panel. All of the embedded FBG sensors survived the fabrication and multiple impacts; however, as these were embedded close to the neutral axis of the panel, they were not very sensitive to the vibration modes. Excitation of the panel near the first natural frequency did produce a measurable response in the FBG sensors, confirming their functionality.

We present a fibre Bragg grating (FBG) interrogator that uses a microcontroller board and a tunable optical filter in a proportional control loop to increase dynamic range and achieve high strain sensitivity. It is an edge-filtering interrogator with added proportional control loop that locks the operating wavelength to the mid-reflection point on the FBG spectrum. The interrogator separates low-frequency (LF) components of strain and measures them with extended dynamic range, while at the same time measuring high-frequency (HF) strain without loss in strain sensitivity. In this paper, we describe the implementation of the interrogator and analyse the characteristics of individual components, such as the speed and voltage resolution of the microcontroller and the tunable optical filter. We measure the performance of the proportional control loop at frequencies up to 1 kHz and characterize the system using control theory. We illustrate the limitation of the conventional interrogator to measure strains greater than 40 μϵ and demonstrate successful application of the proposed interrogator for simultaneous measurement of 450 μϵ LF strain at 50 Hz superimposed with 32 kHz HF strain.

Voltage in a coaxial cable is measured by an electric-field optical fiber sensor exploiting the proportionality of voltage and electric field in a fixed structure. The sensor is inserted in a hole drilled through the dielectric of the RG-218 coaxial cable and sealed with epoxy to displace all air and prevent the adverse effects of charge buildup during high-voltage measurements. It is shown that the presence of the sensor in the coaxial cable does not significantly increase electrical reflections in the cable. A slab-coupled optical fiber sensor (SCOS) is used for its compact size and dielectric make. The dynamic range of 50 dB is shown experimentally with detection of signals as low as 1 V and up to 157 kV. A low corner of 0.3 Hz is demonstrated and the SCOS is shown to be able to measure 90 ns rise time.