SMARTFIBER: miniaturized optical-fiber sensor based health monitoring system

SMARTFIBER is a EU funded FP7 research project, aiming to resolve technological and practi- cal issues holding back the industrial uptake of optical fiber sensing technology. In this paper, a broad overview of the most significant achievements – from a structural health monitoring perspective – within the project are discussed. In a first section, the development of an automated, robotic lay-down system for the optical fiber system is discussed. Secondly, a finite element method is presented capable of predicting the structural behavior of a composite structure with the embedded health monitoring system. It is shown to be capable of accurately modelling the resin pocket formation surrounding the inclusion, and predicting the resulting mechanical re- sponse of the structure. Thirdly, a numerical technique for coating optimization is presented, allowing the coat- ing properties to be tuned to reduce the impact of the sensor network on the host performance. Finally, a novel interrogation technique known as PDL is demonstrated, leading to an increased resolution in transverse strain sensing with traditional FBG sensors, enabling (amongst others) very accurate residual strain measurements