This work reports on the use of Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors integrated with innovative composite items of aircraft landing gear for strain/stress monitoring. Recently, the introduction of innovative structures in aeronautical applications is appealing with two main goals: (i) to decrease the weight and cost of current items; and (ii) to increase the mechanical resistance, if possible. However, the introduction of novel structures in the aeronautical field demands experimentation and certification regarding their mechanical resistance. In this work, we successfully investigate the possibility to use Fiber Bragg Grating sensors for the structural health monitoring of innovative composite items for the landing gear. Several FBG strain sensors have been integrated in different locations of the composite item including region with high bending radius. To optimize the localization of the FBG sensors, load condition was studied by Finite Element Method (FEM) numerical analysis. Several experimental tests have been done in range 0–70 kN by means of a hydraulic press. Obtained results are in very good agreement with the numerical ones and demonstrate the great potentialities of FBG sensor technology to be employed for remote and real-time load measurements on aircraft landing gears and to act as early warning systems.
In this work, we demonstrate an extrinsic pressure sensor realized on single mode fiber tip by means of simple fabrication steps and with low-cost instrumentations. The sensing element consists in a Fabry-Perot cavity: one reflecting surface is the end of the optical fiber, precisely cut, and the other one is a metallic diaphragm. Under the action of the external pressure, the metallic diaphragm bends changing the optical cavity length and, consequently, the characteristics of the reflected signal. The holder structure, which allows the alignment of the fiber tip and reflecting diaphragm, consists in a commercial zirconia ferule with external diameter of Dex = 2.5 mm. Despite its simplicity and cost-effectiveness, the achieved results show performance comparable to more complex and expensive configurations. By using an aluminum plate as reflecting diaphragm. sensitivity ranging in the 70-130pm/mmHg is experimentally
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