Overview of the SmartX Wing Technology Integrator

This article describes the challenges of integrating smart sensing, actuation, and control concepts into an over-sensed and over-actuated technology integrator. This technology integrator has more control inputs than the expected responses or outputs (over-actuated), and its every state is measured using more than one sensor system (over-sensed)...

Assessment of the Measurement Performance of the Multimodal Fibre Optic Shape Sensing Configuration for a Morphing Wing Section

In this paper, with the final aim of shape sensing for a morphing aircraft wing section, a developed multimodal shape sensing system is analysed. We utilise the method of interrogating a morphing wing section based on the principles of both hybrid interferometry and Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) spectral sensing described in our previous work....

Plasmon resonance based gold nanoparticle doped optical fibre strain sensing

Strain-based structural health monitoring (SHM) relies on high performance strain sensing methods. Gold nanoparticle (NP) doped fibre optic sensors not only have the potential to increase the intensity of the backscattered signal to increase the signal to noise ratio but also have plasmon resonance peaks in the visible light range. The...

Plasmon resonance spectral peak shift due to morphing of gold nanoparticles for strain sensing

The plasmon resonance spectral peak of a gold spherical nanoparticle (NP) will shift when the NP shape is changed from sphere to spheroid. This may be used as a novel strain detection method with gold NPs embedded in a medium of different refractive index (RI). Applying a strain to the external medium will cause a change in the shape of the...

Sensing, actuation, and control of the smartx prototype morphing wing in the wind tunnel

This paper presents a study on trailing edge deflection estimation for the SmartX camber morphing wing demonstrator. This demonstrator integrates the technologies of smart sensing, smart actuation and smart controls using a six module distributed morphing concept. The morphing sequence is brought about by two actuators present at both ends of...

Load monitoring of a cantilever plate by a novel multimodal fibre optic sensing configuration

Abstract: Optical fibre sensors and in particular fibre Bragg gratings (FBG) have received a lot of interest for Structural Health Monitoring in different application fields, such as aerospace, pipeline and civil engineering. FBGs are conventionally used to monitor strain and sometimes temperature. In this paper, we propose a new method for...

Simultaneous position and displacement sensing using two fibre Bragg grating sensors

Over the years, many shape sensing methods have been developed with technologies including optical fibre, PZT and fringe projection. Among them, optical fibres have gained a lot of attention due to their unobtrusive nature when either surface mounted or embedded in the structure. Optical fibre Bragg gratings (FBG) are currently employed for...

Calculation of the Mean Strain of Smooth Non-uniform Strain Fields Using Conventional FBG Sensors

In the past few decades, fibre Bragg grating (FBG) sensors have gained a lot of attention in the field of distributed point strain measurement. One of the most interesting properties of these sensors is the presumed linear relationship between the strain and the peak wavelength shift of the FBG reflected spectra. However, subjecting sensors to a...

Simulation and detection of flaws in pre-cured CFRP using laser displacement sensing

The novelty of the research is the detection of different types of flaws in the prepreg carbon fibre-reinforced fibres (CFRP) layup compared to in cured products. This paper presents the development of a new method for in situ detection of prepreg CFRP production flaws combining laser displacement sensors and analytical modelling. Experimental...