Lightweight Production Technology (LWPT) is today a well-established technology in the automotive industry. By introducing light weight fixtures manufactured from Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics (CFRP) in aeronautical applications, new challenges as well as possibilities of in-situ health monitoring emerges.
The present paper present results from experimental investigations using optical fibers with multiplex Bragg gratings (FBG) as strain gauges in an industrial CFRP fixture.
Fixtures were manufactured of laminates made from CFRP. Measurements have been performed on a single CFRP beam with dimensions (8000 × 500 × 500 mm), used as a structural part in a larger assembly (9000 × 4000mm). The optical fibers were placed in between two laminates on two sides of the beam. The measurement data from the FBGs were compared and correlated to the measured displacements of the beam and the applied loads.
The results show that for an eight meter long CFRP beam, it is possible to measure and detect displacements of 0.12 mm (load = 36kg), and resolve a displacement of 0.02 mm (Δload = 4.75kg).
The experimental results were also compared to FEM calculations on the displacement of the beams when subject to the same load. Here measurements and calculations showed very good agreement.
Overall the results imply that FBGs show a high potential as a suitable in-situ health monitoring of lightweight fixtures for the aeronautic industry as well as other applications.