Steve Vanlanduit

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.

Dynamic Strain Measurements on Automotive and Aeronautic Composite Components by Means of Embedded Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors.

The measurement of the internal deformations occurring in real-life composite components is a very challenging task, especially for those components that are rather difficult to access. Optical fiber sensors can overcome such a problem, since they can be embedded in the composite materials and serve as in situ sensors. In this article, embedded optical fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors are used to analyze the vibration characteristics of two real-life composite components. The first component is a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer automotive control arm; the second is a glass fiber-reinforced polymer aeronautic hinge arm. The modal parameters of both components were estimated by processing the FBG signals with two interrogation techniques: the maximum detection and fast phase correlation algorithms were employed for the demodulation of the FBG signals; the Peak-Picking and PolyMax techniques were instead used for the parameter estimation. To validate the FBG outcomes, reference measurements were performed by means of a laser Doppler vibrometer. The analysis of the results showed that the FBG sensing capabilities were enhanced when the recently-introduced fast phase correlation algorithm was combined with the state-of-the-art PolyMax estimator curve fitting method. In this case, the FBGs provided the most accurate results, i.e., it was possible to fully characterize the vibration behavior of both composite components. When using more traditional interrogation algorithms (maximum detection) and modal parameter estimation techniques (Peak-Picking), some of the modes were not successfully identified.

Absorption measurement of acoustic materials using a scanning laser Doppler vibrometer

In this article a method is proposed to estimate the normal incidence reflection ratio and absorption coefficient of acoustical materials using measurements in a transparent tube excited with a loudspeaker and terminated with the material under investigation. The waveforms are measured at different locations in the tube using a scanning laser Doppler vibrometer. Because the measurement probe (i.e., the laser beam) does not interfere with the wave in the tube, narrow tubes can be used. This means that—in contrast to the standardized wide tube tests using microphones—the proposed experiment could be used for high frequencies (in the paper an 8 mm tube was used, resulting in a 25 kHz upper frequency limit). It is shown based on theoretically known scenarios (i.e., an open tube and a rigid termination) that the absorption coefficient can be obtained with an error of about three percent. In addition, the absorption coefficient of two commonly used absorption materials—glass fiber wool and carpet—were determine...

Structural Health Monitoring in Changing Operational Conditions Using Tranmissibility Measurements

This article uses frequency domain transmissibility functions for detecting and locating damage in operational con- ditions. In recent articles numerical and experimental examples were presented and the possibility to use the transmissibility concept for damage detection seemed quite promising. In the work discussed so far, it was assumed that the operational conditions were constant, the structure was excited by a single input in a fixed location. Transmissibility functions, defined as a simple ratio between two measured responses, do depend on the amplitudes or locations of the operational forces. The current techniques fail in the case of changing operational conditions. A suitable operational damage detection method should however be able to detect damage in a very early stage even in the case of changing operational conditions. It will be demonstrated in this paper that, by using only a small frequency band around the resonance frequencies of the structure, the existing methods can still be used in a more robust way. The idea is based on the specific property that the transmissibility functions become independent of the loading condition in the system poles. A numerical and experimental validation will be given.

RTM Production Monitoring of the A380 Hinge Arm Droop Nose Mechanism: A Multi-Sensor Approach

This research presents a case study of production monitoring on an aerospace composite component: the hinge arm of the droop nose mechanism on the Airbus A380 wing leading edge. A sensor network composed of Fibre Bragg Gratings, capacitive sensors for cure monitoring and thermocouples was embedded in its fibre reinforced lay-up and measurements were acquired throughout its Resin Transfer Moulding production process. Two main challenges had to be overcome: first, the integration of the sensor lines in the existing Resin Transfer Moulding mould without modifying it; second, the demoulding of the component without damaging the sensor lines. The proposed embedding solution has proved successful. The wavelength shifts of the Fibre Bragg Gratings were observed from the initial production stages, over the resin injection, the complete curing of the resin and the cooling-down prior to demoulding. The sensors proved to be sensitive to detecting the resin flow front, vacuum and pressure increase into the mould and the temperature increase caused by the resin curing. Measurements were also acquired during the post-curing cycle. Residual strains during all steps of the process were derived from the sensors’ wavelength shift, showing values up to 0.2% in compression. Moreover, the capacitive sensors were able to follow-up the curing degree during the production process. The sensors proved able to detect the resin flow front, whereas thermocouples could not measure an appreciable increase of temperature due to the fact that the resin had the same temperature as the mould.

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.

Detection, Localization and Quantification of Impact Events on a Stiffened Composite Panel with Embedded Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor Networks

Nowadays, it is possible to manufacture smart composite materials with embedded fiber optic sensors. These sensors can be exploited during the composites’ operating life to identify occurring damages such as delaminations. For composite materials adopted in the aviation and wind energy sector, delaminations are most often caused by impacts with external objects. The detection, localization and quantification of such impacts are therefore crucial for the prevention of catastrophic events. In this paper, we demonstrate the feasibility to perform impact identification in smart composite structures with embedded fiber optic sensors. For our analyses, we manufactured a carbon fiber reinforced plate in which we embedded a distributed network of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors. We impacted the plate with a modal hammer and we identified the impacts by processing the FBG data with an improved fast phase correlation (FPC) algorithm in combination with a variable selective least squares (VS-LS) inverse solver approach. A total of 164 impacts distributed on 41 possible impact locations were analyzed. We compared our methodology with the traditional P-Inv based approach. In terms of impact localization, our methodology performed better in 70.7% of the cases. An improvement on the impact time domain reconstruction was achieved in 95.1% of the cases.

Vibration suppression in multi-body systems by means of disturbance filter design methods

This paper addresses the problem of interaction in mechanical multi-body systems and shows that subsystem interaction can be considerably minimized while increasing performance if an efficient disturbance model is used. In order to illustrate the advantage of the proposed intelligent disturbance filter, two linear model based techniques are considered: IMC and the model based predictive (MPC) approach. As an illustrative example, multivariable mass-spring-damper and quarter car systems are presented. An adaptation mechanism is introduced to account for linear parameter varying LPV conditions. In this paper we show that, even if the IMC control strategy was not designed for MIMO systems, if a proper filter is used, IMC can successfully deal with disturbance rejection in a multivariable system, and the results obtained are comparable with those obtained by a MIMO predictive control approach. The results suggest that both methods perform equally well, with similar numerical complexity and implementation effort.

Fast Ground Detection for Range Cameras on Road Surfaces Using a Three-Step Segmentation

We present in this paper a fast and simple free floor detection method. Compared to existing methods the proposed method can handle non-planar camera motion by means of a Three-Step procedure. A fast initial segmentation is followed by an intermediate floor plane estimation to adapt to the camera motion. Then, a final segmentation is done using the estimated plane. This allows for correct segmentation even when the camera moves up and down, tilts or rolls. Outdoor measurements of a road surface were performed with a Time-of-Flight camera mounted in front of a car. The measurements contain three types of road surface: concrete, stone and asphalt. The proposed segmentation takes less than (1.25,)ms per frame for range images with a resolution of 176 by 132, making it fit for real-time applications. The resulting accuracy is higher than the state of the art.

A Simple Evaluation Procedure for Range Camera Measurement Quality

Range cameras suffer from both systematic and random errors. We present a procedure to evaluate both types of error separately in one test. To quantify the systematic errors, we use an industrial robot to provide a ground truth motion of the range sensor. We present an error metric that compares this ground truth motion with the calculated motion, using the range data of the range sensor. The only item present in the scene is a white plane that we move in different positions during the experiment. This plane is used to compute the range sensor motion for the purpose of systematic error measurement, as well as to quantify the random error of the range sensor. As opposed to other range camera evaluation experiments this method does not require any extrinsic system calibration, high quality ground truth test scene or complicated test objects. Finally, we performed the experiment for three common Time-of-flight (TOF) cameras: Kinect One, Mesa SR4500 and IFM 03D303 and compare their performance.