Development and Experimental Validation of a Numerical Tool for Structural Health and Usage Monitoring Systems Based on Chirped Grating Sensors

The interest of the aerospace industries in structural health and usage monitoring systems is continuously increasing. Among the techniques available in literature those based on Fibre Bragg Grating sensors are much promising thanks to their peculiarities. Different Chirped Bragg Grating sensor configurations have been investigated in this paper. Starting from a numerical model capable of simulating the spectral response of a grating subjected to a generic strain profile (direct problem), a new code has been developed, allowing strain reconstruction from the experimental validation of the program, carried out through different loading cases applied on a chirped grating. The wavelength of the reflection spectrum for a chirped FBG has a one-to-one correspondence to the position along the gauge section, thus allowing strain reconstruction over the entire sensor length. Tests conducted on chirped FBGs also evidenced their potential for SHM applications, if coupled with appropriate numerical strain reconstructions tools. Finally, a new class of sensors—Draw Tower Grating arrays—has been studied. These sensors are applicable to distributed sensing and load reconstruction over large structures, thanks to their greater length. Three configurations have been evaluated, having different spatial and spectral characteristics, in order to explore possible applications of such sensors to SHM systems.