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Monitoring of Composite Structures for Re-Usable Space Applications Using FBGs: The Influence of Low Earth Orbit
Thibault Juwet1,2, Geert Luyckx1, Alfredo Lamberti3
1Com&Sens, 9810 Eke, Belgium.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|January 11, 2024
Summary
Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors embedded in carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites show no degradation in function or structural integrity after simulated low Earth orbit (LEO) thermal vacuum (TVac) conditioning.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Aerospace Engineering
- Sensor Technology
Background:
- Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors offer advantages for structural health monitoring (SHM) in space environments due to their light weight, environmental resilience, and electromagnetic interference immunity.
- Assessing the impact of space conditions on embedded sensors is crucial for reliable SHM of composite structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of simulated low Earth orbit (LEO) conditions on the integrity of composite structures with embedded Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors.
- To evaluate the functionality of FBGs and the structural integrity of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites after thermal vacuum (TVac) conditioning.
Main Methods:
- CFRP coupons with and without embedded optical fibers (FBGs and capillaries) were subjected to 10 cycles of thermal vacuum (TVac) conditioning simulating LEO conditions.
- Mechanical tests (tensile, compression, interlaminar shear strength) and visual cross-section inspections were performed.
- FBG performance was assessed by analyzing reflection spectra and comparing strain measurements with reference sensors before and after TVac conditioning.
Main Results:
- Embedded FBGs maintained their functionality, showing excellent agreement with reference strain sensors and no significant degradation in reflection spectra post-TVac conditioning.
- Mechanical testing and visual inspections revealed no discernible impact on the structural integrity of the CFRP composites.
- TVac conditioning did not compromise the performance of embedded FBGs or the composite's structural integrity.
Conclusions:
- The study concludes that simulated LEO TVac conditioning does not negatively affect the functionality of embedded FBGs or the structural integrity of CFRP composites.
- The findings support the use of FBG sensors for SHM in space applications involving composite structures.
- Results are applicable to other optical fiber sensing techniques used in harsh space environments.
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