Ben De Pauw

Influence of Fiber Bragg Grating Spectrum Degradation on the Performance of Sensor Interrogation Algorithms

The working principle of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors is mostly based on the tracking of the Bragg wavelength shift. To accomplish this task, different algorithms have been proposed, from conventional maximum and centroid detection algorithms to more recently-developed correlation-based techniques. Several studies regarding the performance of these algorithms have been conducted, but they did not take into account spectral distortions, which appear in many practical applications. This paper addresses this issue and analyzes the performance of four different wavelength tracking algorithms (maximum detection, centroid detection, cross-correlation and fast phase-correlation) when applied to distorted FBG spectra used for measuring dynamic loads. Both simulations and experiments are used for the analyses. The dynamic behavior of distorted FBG spectra is simulated using the transfer-matrix approach, and the amount of distortion of the spectra is quantified using dedicated distortion indices. The algorithms are compared in terms of achievable precision and accuracy. To corroborate the simulation results, experiments were conducted using three FBG sensors glued on a steel plate and subjected to a combination of transverse force and vibration loads. The analysis of the results showed that the fast phase-correlation algorithm guarantees the best combination of versatility, precision and accuracy.

Signal-to-Noise Ratio Evaluation of Fibre Bragg Gratings for Dynamic Strain Sensing at Elevated Temperatures in a Liquid Metal Environment

Vibration measurements of the fuel assembly of a nuclear reactor are a very useful tool to determine the health and lifetime of the reactor core. The importance of these measurements is exacerbated in the new generation of heavy liquid metal reactors, where the fuel assembly is exposed to a corrosive molten metal coolant at 300 °C and where the space between the individual fuel pins is limited to a few millimeters. In this paper, we consider fibre Bragg gratings as potential candidates for carrying out fuel pin vibration measurements in such an environment. We describe a dedicated method to integrate fibre Bragg gratings in a fuel pin, and we subject this pin to conditions close to those encountered in a real heavy liquid metal reactor. More specifically, we report on the performance of draw tower gratings used as a vibration sensor when the fuel pins are immersed in heavy liquid metal at 300 °C for up to 700 h. The performance evaluation is based on monitoring the signal-to-noise ratio of the gratings spectral response as a function of time. We show that accurate detection of the Bragg peak becomes very challenging after 400 h of exposure. Additionally, we succeed to extend the useful lifetime with a factor of two by using an appropriate integration of the fiber in the fuel pin and by using an alternate peak detection algorithm.

Vibration Monitoring Using Fiber Optic Sensors in a Lead-Bismuth Eutectic Cooled Nuclear Fuel Assembly

Excessive fuel assembly vibrations in nuclear reactor cores should be avoided in order not to compromise the lifetime of the assembly and in order to prevent the occurrence of safety hazards. This issue is particularly relevant to new reactor designs that use liquid metal coolants, such as, for example, a molten lead-bismuth eutectic. The flow of molten heavy metal around and through the fuel assembly may cause the latter to vibrate and hence suffer degradation as a result of, for example, fretting wear or mechanical fatigue. In this paper, we demonstrate the use of optical fiber sensors to measure the fuel assembly vibration in a lead-bismuth eutectic cooled installation which can be used as input to assess vibration-related safety hazards. We show that the vibration characteristics of the fuel pins in the fuel assembly can be experimentally determined with minimal intrusiveness and with high precision owing to the small dimensions and properties of the sensors. In particular, we were able to record local strain level differences of about 0.2 μϵ allowing us to reliably estimate the vibration amplitudes and modal parameters of the fuel assembly based on optical fiber sensor readings during different stages of the operation of the facility, including the onset of the coolant circulation and steady-state operation.

Spectroscopic monitoring and melt pool temperature estimation during the laser metal deposition process

Laser metal deposition is an additive manufacturing process that allows the production of near net shape structures. Moreover, the process can also be applied for the addition of material to an existing component for repair. In order to obtain structures with reproducible and excellent material properties, it is necessary to understand the thermal behavior of the process better and to monitor and control the process. One of the critical parameters in this process is the measurement of the melt pool temperature and its distribution. The varying emissivity in space and time for the melt pool forms a fundamental physical problem. This also prevents a correct temperature measurement of the melt pool temperature distribution with a thermal camera. The usage of the spectral information within the emitted light of the melt pool can form a key enabling element in the estimation of the emissivity and as such reveal the temperature information. In future, this information can be used in a controlling system in orde...

Design and Testing of an Active Aeroelastic Test Bench (AATB) for Unsteady Aerodynamic and Aeroelastic Experiments

The Active Aeroelastic Test Bench (AATB) is designed for the study of low subsonic unsteady aerodynamics through forced motion experiments, as well as active aeroelastic experiments. First, the forces generated on a wind tunnel model subjected to an arbitrary oscillation in pitch and plunge are measured during forced motion experiments. Next, by operating the AATB in closed loop, the occurring aerodynamic forces are translated into pitch and plunge displacements through emulated stiffness of the actuators. This allows for the emulation of different linear and nonlinear elastic behaviour of the wind tunnel model. Via this emulated stiffness, it is also possible to simulate the longitudinal rigid body motion of a flexible wind tunnel model, and hence, study the response and the coupling between flexible and rigid modes. The obtained data is used for the validation and development of frequency-domain system identification methods, in order to generate aeroelastic models from noisy measurement data. This paper threats with the design and initial testing of the AATB for a rigid wing with constant section.

Dynamic 3D strain measurements with embedded micro-structured optical fiber Bragg grating sensors during impact on a CFRP coupon

Composite materials are increasingly used in aerospace applications, owing to their high strength-to-mass ratio. Such materials are nevertheless vulnerable to impact damage. It is therefore important to investigate the effects of impacts on composites. Here we embed specialty microstructured optical fiber Bragg grating based sensors inside a carbon fiber reinforced polymer, providing access to the 3D strain evolution within the composite during impact. We measured a maximum strain of −655 με along the direction of impact, and substantially lower values in the two in-plane directions. Such in-situ characterization can trigger insight in the development of impact damage in composites.

Mechanical strain-amplifying transducer for fiber Bragg grating sensors with applications in structural health monitoring

A well-known structural health monitoring method used to detect and locate damage in civil engineering structures is vibration-based damage identification. It typically monitors the civil structure over time to spot slow or sudden changes in its natural frequencies, damping factors or modal displacements. This approach can prove very powerful, but the sensitivity of those properties to local damage can be rather low. In addition, their cross-sensitivity to environmental influences may completely mask the effect of damage, even of severe damage. Instead one can consider the modal strains and curvatures, which are much more sensitive to local damage, but direct (quasi-)distributed monitoring of these quantities with sufficient strain resolution as well as adequate spatial resolution is not straightforward with current measurement techniques. This stems from the small (sub-microstrain) amplitudes of the strain levels occurring following ambient or operational excitation of the structure under test. To deal with this issue we propose and demonstrate a novel mechanical transducer that amplifies the strain applied to an optical fiber Bragg grating sensor with a factor of about 36. In addition the transducer resonance frequencies are sufficiently high to ensure accurate dynamic strain monitoring of civil structures under ambient excitation.

Fibre Bragg Gratings in Embedded Microstructured Optical Fibres Allow Distinguishing between Symmetric and Anti-Symmetric Lamb Waves in Carbon Fibre Reinforced Composites

Conventional contact sensors used for Lamb wave-based ultrasonic inspection, such as piezo-electric transducers, measure omnidirectional strain and do not allow distinguishing between fundamental symmetric and anti-symmetric modes. In this paper, we show that the use of a single fibre Bragg grating created in a dedicated microstructured optical fibre allows one to directly make the distinction between these fundamental Lamb wave modes. This feature stems from the different sensitivities of the microstructured fibre to axial and transverse strain. We fabricated carbon fibre-reinforced polymer panels equipped with embedded microstructured optical fibre sensors and experimentally demonstrated the strain waves associated with the propagating Lamb waves in both the axial and transverse directions of the optical fibre.

Development of an Optical Fiber Sensor Interrogation System for Vibration Analysis

Since the introduction of dynamic optical fiber sensor interrogation systems on the market it has become possible to perform vibration measurements at frequencies up to a few kHz. Nevertheless, the use of these sensors in vibration analysis has not become a standard practice yet. This is mainly caused by the fact that interrogators are stand-alone systems which focus on strain measurements while other types of signals are also required for vibration analysis (e.g., force signals). In this paper, we present a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) interrogation system that enables accurate strain measurement simultaneously with other signals (e.g., excitation forces). The system is based on a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) and can easily be assembled with relatively low-cost off-the-shelf components. Dynamic measurements up to a few tens of kHz with a dynamic precision of around 3 nanostrain per square-root Hz can be performed. We evaluate the proposed system on two measurement examples: a steel beam with FBG sensors glued on top and a composite test specimen with a fiber sensor integrated within the material. We show that in the latter case the results of the interrogation system are superior in quality compared to a state-of-the-art commercially available interrogation system.