Development of Sensor Integrated Composite Wing Structure

Abstract

Demands for improved aerial vehicle performance have led to the increasing use of composite materials. However, the mechanical behavior and failure modes of composites are not characterized as well as metals, and damages may be more difficult to detect. To overcome this, there is a demand to develop a structural health monitoring (SHM) system for composite aerial vehicles. This paper presents the development of sensor integrated composite wing structure, which is an essential part of SHM system. The composite wing structure was manufactured using an autoclave process, and Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) optical sensor and piezoelectric (PZT) sensor were installed. The optimal number and location of each sensor system are determined based on the experimental results and Finite Element Analysis (FEA). Installation procedures for FBG and PZT sensor system are developed and validated using tension-tension fatigue tests over 106 cycles.