| Fibre optic sensors are increasingly being used in aerospace and smart technology applications. Their compatibility with fibre reinforced composite materials and their high multiplexing abilities makes them particularly attractive as embedded strain sensors in aerospace structures. Integral fibre optic strain sensor arrays have been used to monitor strain cycling in horizontal-axis wind turbine rotor blade. Adaptation of this technology for use as integrated dynamic strain sensor networks within a fibre reinforced composite Mach scaled helicopter rotor blade presents, however, some unique challenges. In this thesis, an investigation into fibre optic strain sensory technology leads to the development of a conceptual fibre optic sensing system for this application, using the SHARCS rotor blade as example. As a major part of this thesis, a series of experiments is first conducted using fibre Bragg grating strain sensors on cantilever beams to verify their strain measurement ability. |
