Application of 1D Array FBG Configuration for Impact Localization on Composite Wing under Simulated Noise

Low velocity impacts on composite materials, which can cause barely visible impact damage BVID, needs to be detected and localized in order to ensure the safety of aircraft structures. In this paper, impact localization on composite wing under simulated operating noise condition using 1D array FBG sensor configuration is presented. Composite wing of Jabiru UL-D aircraft is used for impact localization test under simulated noise conditions. The impact signals were sampled using a high speed FBG interrogator at 100 kHz, the operating noise conditions on the wing were simulated using a shaker and correlation based reference database algorithm was used for impact localization. The present study demonstrates the feasibility of 1D array FBG configuration and reference database impact localization algorithm to monitor low velocity impact on large scale structure under simulated working environment. The impact points on the composite wing were detected with localization error of less than 40 mm.