Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
This content has been downloaded from IOPscience. Please scroll down to see the full text.
(http://iopscience.iop.org/0964-1726/12/1/314)
View the table of contents for this issue, or go to the journal homepage for more
Download details:
IP Address: 14.139.38.10
This content was downloaded on 20/03/2017 at 12:53
Embedded fiber optic sensors for monitoring processing, quality and structural health of resin
transfer molded components
C Keulen, B Rocha, M Yildiz et al.
Reduced length fibre Bragg gratings for high frequency acoustic sensing
Claire Davis, David Robertson, Chris Brooks et al.
A novel signal demodulation technique for chirped Bragg grating strain sensors
Peter L Fuhr, Stephanus J Spammer and Yinian Zhu
Investigation of an integrated fiber laser sensor system in ultrasonic structural health monitoring
Qi Wu and Yoji Okabe
Abstract
This paper describes a fiber-optic system which is able to detect ultrasound
in structures. The aim of the sensing system is to monitor structures, in
particular aircraft structures, by detecting ultrasonic Lamb waves. This type
of monitoring technique has recently become a key topic in structural health
monitoring. Most common approaches use piezoceramic devices to launch
and receive the ultrasound. A new way of fiber-optic detection of Lamb
waves is based on fiber Bragg grating sensors. In addition to the well known
advantages of fiber-optic sensors, this new interrogation scheme allows the
use of Bragg gratings for both high-resolution strain and high-speed
ultrasound detection. The focus of the paper is on the ultrasonic part of the
system. The theoretical approach and the implementation into a laboratory
set-up are elaborated. Experiments have been carried out to calibrate the
system and first results on simple structures show the feasibility of the
system for sensing ultrasonic Lamb waves.
(Some figures in this article are in colour only in the electronic version)
Ultrasonic Transducer Ultrasonic Receiver where Cε and CT are material constants usually determined
from calibration experiments. Typical values for the relative
shift of the Bragg wavelength are ∼10 pm K−1 for the
Structure
temperature sensitivity and ∼1.2 pm/µstrain for the strain
Bursted Excitation Ultrasonic Stress Wave sensitivity in the 1.5 µm wavelength region. The use of Bragg
gratings as strain or temperature sensors demands a high-
Figure 1. Schematic diagram of the acousto-ultrasonic technique.
resolution interrogation system with a high absolute accuracy.
Such a system can be based on a tunable laser and a high-
optic sensors are small, lightweight and can easily be integrated precision wavelength measurement and attachment unit as
into structures—a property which is especially attractive described in [10].
for composite materials where fiber optics can be used to
implement smart structures, i.e. materials having their own
2.2. Ultrasonic sensing
nervous system [8]. Sensor applications are as manifold as
fiber-optic sensor configurations, but the sensor with the most The demands on a system suitable for detecting ultrasonic
attraction for the fiber-optic community today is the fiber Bragg acoustic waves are different than for the more common strain
grating sensor (FBGS). In addition to the above-mentioned and temperature systems. On the one hand, the frequency is
advantages of fiber optics, Bragg gratings offer self-calibration much higher, with typical values for ultrasonic frequencies
and excellent multiplexing capabilities [9]. What makes them used in NDT ranging from 100 kHz up to several MHz.
most attractive for SHM is that they can be used for both On the other hand, the related strain levels are much lower,
strain-based load monitoring and acousto-ultrasonic damage normally in the µstrain range. Fiber-optic solutions for
detection. this problem do exist. The most common approach is use
This paper focuses on the use of Bragg gratings as acousto- of an interferometric technique [11, 12]. Fiber optics is
ultrasonic receivers. The intention of the paper is to present particularly attractive for ultrasonic sensing as the sensors offer
a Bragg grating interrogation system for the detection of broadband detection capability. Despite the fact that research
ultrasonic Lamb waves, which in addition could be used as on Bragg grating sensors has soared, few publications deal with
a fiber-optic strain sensing system. As far as the authors know, Bragg gratings as ultrasonic sensors. Fisher et al [13] have
such an approach has not been reported in the literature before. demonstrated the feasibility of short fiber Bragg gratings to
The structure of the paper is as follows: in section 2 a brief measure MHz acoustic fields and temperature simultaneously.
introduction to fiber Bragg gratings is given, and section 3 An underwater acoustic sensor with fiber Bragg gratings has
spotlights the ultrasonic sensing technique, whose practical been examined by Takahashi et al [14]. More recently, a study
implementation is described in section 4. First results obtained on Bragg gratings for ultrasonic sensing related to damage
using the system in a laboratory set-up are given in section 5, detection has been presented [15]. This proves the growing
and the paper is concluded in section 6. importance of this kind of sensing technique. What still
remains an open task is the merging of both load monitoring
2. Fiber Bragg grating sensor and damage detection concepts with a single fiber-optic sensor
technology.
2.1. General description The idea of a combined system based on fiber Bragg
gratings is very attractive. Yet, the demands on the optical
A fiber-optic Bragg grating (FBG) is a permanent, periodic interrogation system are stringent, because high absolute
perturbation of the refractive index which is laterally exposed accuracy and ultra-fast interrogation have to be implemented in
in the core of an optical fiber, extending over a limited length a single system. An approach including a tunable laser source
of the fiber [9]. The grating is characterized by its period, will be able to meet these requirements. This approach enables
amplitude and length, usually 1–20 mm. Such a periodic a dual load and damage monitoring system, where the fiber-
structure acts as a filter for light traveling along the fiber line. optical system runs in a scanning mode to record the load levels
It has the property of reflecting light in a predetermined range for the time the structure is in service. During maintenance,
of wavelength centered around a peak wavelength value. This however, when the structure is out of service, the system can
value, the Bragg wavelength λ B , is given as follows: be driven in the acousto-ultrasonic mode in order to detect any
structural damage. The load sensing part of the system has
λ B = 2n̄ e f f (1) been explained in [10]. The ultrasonic interrogation part is
presented in the following sections. Special effort is made
where is the grating period and n̄ e f f is the mean effective
to find a consistent mathematical description of the signal
refractive index in the grating region. External forces such
composition. This allows the identification of the critical
as strain, pressure or a temperature change lead to changes
parameters, which have to be determined experimentally
in the grating period and in the effective refractive index.
during sensor calibration.
Consequently, the wavelength of the light reflected from the
grating varies. The relative shift of the Bragg wavelength for an
applied strain along the fiber axes εz and a temperature change 3. Analytical approach
T is, in a first approximation, given as follows:
The basic idea of the interrogation method is to use a narrow-
λ B linewidth laser diode. If the wavelength of the laser matches a
= Cε εz + CT T (2)
λB certain part of the grating spectrum, any shift of the spectrum
123
D C Betz et al
124
Acousto-ultrasonic sensing using fiber Bragg gratings
Figure 3. Measurement set-up for acousto-ultrasonic sensing. The system operates in WDM mode.
125
D C Betz et al
Figure 5. Result of the calibration experiment to obtain the grating Figure 7. Dimensions of the Perspex plate and location of
sensitivity. transducers (PZT) and receivers (FBGS).
126
Acousto-ultrasonic sensing using fiber Bragg gratings
Figure 8. Lamb wave detection using a FBGS. Also shown are the 6. Conclusion
actuator signal, and the signal received by a PZT.
For the first time, fiber Bragg gratings have been used to detect
ultrasonic Lamb waves. In order to achieve this, a simple
which the signal-to-noise ratio is 0 dB, the minimum detectable
but powerful optical interrogation system has been developed,
strain is 16 nstrain for the fiber optical system. The resolution which shows excellent signal quality. Additionally, this optical
obtained is 40 fstrain (Hz)−1/2 . The main noise source found set-up can easily be modified to allow the interrogation of
in the system is the relative intensity noise of the laser, which is Bragg gratings for both strain-oriented load monitoring and an
given by the manufacturer as 160 dB Hz. However, the overall ultrasonic technique for damage monitoring. The study of the
noise level is very low and poses no limits for the analysis of relevant process parameters, e.g. grating properties, allows the
the acousto-ultrasonic signals. use of tailor-made Bragg gratings for ultrasonic sensing. Due
As illustrated in figure 9, the Bragg grating shows high to the calibration of the sensor prior to the ultrasonic sensing,
directivity. The upper part shows the response of FBGS 1 the corresponding surface strains produced by the Lamb waves
when the acoustic wave is launched perpendicular to the fiber have been obtained. The results obtained in this work show
new ways of SHM using fiber Bragg grating sensors.
by PZT 3. The lower part refers to the parallel case, when the
actuator is PZT 2. For both experiments, the grating interacts
at 0.1 ms with the symmetric mode. However, the amplitude in References
the perpendicular case is 100-fold less than for the parallel one.
[1] Chang F K 2001 Proc. 3rd Int. Workshop on Structural Health
This is interpreted as follows. As stated in section 2 the grating
Monitoring (Stanford, CA: Technomic Publishing Co., Inc.)
is most sensitive to strain along the fiber axis. In addition, the [2] Boller C 1996 Fundamentals on damage monitoring Smart
mounting technique of the fiber ensures maximum transfer of Structures and Materials: Implication for Military Aircraft
strains parallel to the fiber axis. The other parts of the signal of New Generation (AGARD Lecture Series vol 205)
pp 4.1–15
refer to interferences between different modes and reflections [3] Boller C 2001 Ways and options for aircraft structural health
from the sample edges. management Smart Mater. Struct. 10 432–40
127
D C Betz et al
[4] Rose J L 1999 Ultrasonic Waves in Solid Media (Cambridge: Mach-Zehnder optical fiber interferometers for the
Cambridge University Press) detection of ultrasound Smart Structures and Materials
[5] Viktorov I A 1967 Rayleigh and Lamb Waves—Physical 2000: Sensory Phenomena and Measurement
Theory and Applications (New York: Plenum) Instrumentation for Smart Structures and Materials (Proc.
[6] Alleyne D N and Cawley P 1992 The interaction of Lamb SPIE vol 3986) (Bellingham, WA: SPIE Optical
waves with defects IEEE Trans. Ultrason. Ferroeletr. Freq. Engineering Press) pp 27–34
Control 39 381–97 [13] Fisher N E, Webb D J, Pannell C N, Jackson D A, Gavrilov
[7] Staszewski W J, Pierce S G, Worden K, Philp W R, L R, Hand J W, Zhang L and Bennion I 1998 Ultrasonic
Tomlinson G R and Culshaw B 1997 Wavelet signal field and temperature sensor based on short in-fiber Bragg
processing for enhanced Lamb-wave defect detection in gratings Electron. Lett. 34 1139–40
composite plates using fiber detection Opt. Eng. 36 [14] Takahashi N, Takahashi S and Tetsumura K 1999
1877–88 Fiber-Bragg-grating underwater acoustic sensor 13th Int.
[8] Measures R M 2001 Structural Monitoring with Fiber Optic Conf. on Optical Fiber Sensor (SPIE vol 3746) (Bellingham,
Technology (Kluwer: Academic) WA: SPIE Optical Engineering Press) pp 565–8
[9] Othonos K and Kalli K 1999 Fiber Bragg Gratings, [15] Perez I, Cui H L and Udd E 2001 Acoustic emission detection
Fundamentals and Applications in Telecommunications and using fiber Bragg gratings Smart Structures and Materials
Sensing (Boston, MA: Artech House Publishers) 2001: Sensory Phenomena and Measurement
[10] Trutzel M, Wauer K, Betz D, Staudigel L, Krumpholz O, Instrumentation for Smart Structures and Materials (Proc.
Mühlmann H C, Müllert T and Gleine W 2000 Smart SPIE vol 4328) (Bellingham, WA: SPIE Optical
sensing of aviation structures with fiber-optic Bragg Engineering Press) pp 209–15
grating sensors Smart Structures and Materials 2000: [16] Erdogan T 1997 Fiber grating spectra J. Lightwave Technol. 15
Sensory Phenomena and Measurement Instrumentation 1277–94
for Smart Structures and Materials (Proc. SPIE vol 3986) [17] Coppola G, Minardo A, Cusano A, Breglio G, Zeni G,
(Bellingham, WA: SPIE Optical Engineering Press) Cutolo A, Calabro A, Giurdano M and Nicolais L 2001
pp 134–43 Analysis of feasibility on the use of fiber Bragg grating
[11] Dorighi J, Krishnaswamy S and Achenbach J 1995 Stabilized sensors as ultrasound detectors Smart Structures and
fiber optic sensor for ultrasound detection Review of Materials 2001: Sensory Phenomena and Measurement
Progress in Quantitative Nondestructive Evaluation vol 14 Instrumentation for Smart Structures and Materials (Proc.
(New York: Plenum) pp 1135–42 SPIE vol 4328) (Bellingham, WA: SPIE Optical
[12] Atherton K, Dong F, Pierce S G and Culshaw B 2000 Engineering Press) pp 224–32
128