Project summary

We use Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) technology to measure mechanical strain in aeronautical structures. An optical fiber, with a diameter of less than 0.2 mm and bonded directly to the structure, captures strain distributed at regular intervals of 0.25 in (6.35 mm). With a capacity of up to eight optical fibers of 13 m each, this technology offers over 16,300 simultaneous measurement points, with an acquisition frequency of up to 100 Hz.

But this solution goes far beyond simple data acquisition: it also enables real-time calculation of the deformations of complex structures, using analytical models or models trained from finite element simulations. In particular, we have applied this technology to develop methods for calculating the deflection and torsion angle of the Global 7500 [View article] and a composite wing [View article].

The main advantages of this technology are as follows:

• A detailed understanding of the strain distribution within complex structures.
• The ability to calculate structural deformations in real time.
• Instant comparison of experimental results with finite element simulations.

Two other projects are currently underway:

• Validate these calculation methods in flight conditions on CTA's Piper Chieftain.
• Real-time calculation of flight control surface deformations.

 

The professionals that I had met at the CTA are brilliant researchers, proactive in debugging experimental installations they take part of and in post-processing data. The papers I reviewed detailed strong theoretical foundations, alongside good to excellent modeling of experimental results. Moreover, the lead researcher while carefully planning projects, remains very flexible to the customer’s availabilities.

Denis Walch
Technical Expert, Advanced Structures Design, Bombardier Aviation

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