SBIR Phase II: Automated Structural Health Monitoring Sensor

这一小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第二阶段研究项目将支持开发一种新的自动化结构健康监测(SHM)传感器系统，该系统能够检测先进结构中的裂缝和测量应力。目前的电动SHM仪器体积庞大，价格昂贵。随着传感点和结构尺寸的增加，布线数量、重量和硬件成本都会急剧增加。该仪器将光波导和光纤、布拉格光栅(BG)与低成本、坚固耐用的光源相结合，形成了一种能够在现场进行高精度和高灵敏度连续测量的SHM仪器。第二阶段的研究将开发一种经过现场测试的基于BG的8通道SHM仪器，用于大型结构中的同时裂缝检测和加载应力测量。这种新型的SHM仪器将提供一种低成本的解决方案，用于大型机身结构(如机翼、机身和搭接接头)以及民用结构(如石油管道、桥梁、高速公路、工厂和建筑)的裂缝检测，从而显著节省成本。新的传感器技术将增强公共安全，因为低成本的状态维护和有效的预警系统，因为传感器仪器可以准确预测和早期预测大型公共交通和公用事业系统的灾难性故障。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II research project will support the development of a new automated structural health monitoring (SHM) sensor system capable of detecting cracks and measuring stress in advanced structures. Current electrically-based SHM instrument is bulky and expensive. With the increase of sensing points and structure size, the amount of cabling, weight, and cost for hardware increases dramatically. This instrument combines optical waveguides and fibers, and Bragg Gratings (BG) with a low-cost, rugged light source to yield a SHM instrument capable of continuous measurements in the field with high precision and sensitivity. Phase II research will develop a field-tested 8-channel BG-based SHM instrument for simultaneous crack detection and loading stress measurements in large structures.This novel SHM instrumentation will offer significant cost saving by providing a low cost solution for crack detection in large airframe structures such as wings, fuselage, and lap joints, as well as in civil structures such as oil pipelines, bridges, freeways, plants and buildings. The new sensor technology will enhance public safety as a result of low-cost condition-based maintenance and effective warning systems due to the sensor instrument's accurate prognosis and early prediction of catastrophic failures in large public transportation and utility systems.