title: Dynamic Strain Measurements on Automotive and Aeronautic Composite Components by Means of Embedded Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors.
abstract: 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. Sensors 2015, 15 27175 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Pleinlaan 2, Elsene 1050, Belgium. allamber@vub.ac.be.
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lamberti
authors.affiliation: Department of Material Science and Engineering, Ghent University Technologiepark Zwijn. 903, Zwijnaarde 9052, Belgium. gachiesu.Chiesura@UGent.be.
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chiesura
authors.affiliation: Department of Material Science and Engineering, Ghent University Technologiepark Zwijn. 903, Zwijnaarde 9052, Belgium. Geert.luyckx@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Geert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Luyckx
authors.affiliation: Department of Material Science and Engineering, Ghent University Technologiepark Zwijn. 903, Zwijnaarde 9052, Belgium. Joris.Degrieck@UGent.be.
authors.forename: Joris
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Degrieck
authors.affiliation: Sirris Leuven-Gent Composites Application Lab, Celestijnenlaan 300C, Heverlee 3001, Belgium. Markus.Kaufmann@sirris.be.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaufmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Pleinlaan 2, Elsene 1050, Belgium. Steve.Vanlanduit@uantwerpen.be.|Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Campus Hoboken Salesianenlaan 90, Antwerp 2660, Belgium. Steve.Vanlanduit@uantwerpen.be.
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vanlanduit
keywords: CFRP and GFRP composites; demodulation algorithms; dynamic measurements; fiber Bragg grating; modal parameters; optical sensing