Fiber Bragg grating sensing system for impact loading detection and localization of aviation structures

This work presents the design and verification of an optical fiber Bragg grating (FBG)-based acoustic emission (AE) sensing system for damage detection and localization in aviation structures. The system integrates multiple FBGs as sensing elements, incorporating dedicated modules for high-frequency signal modulation. First, the impact loading-induced AE behavior was studied, and a simplified algorithm based on few sensors was proposed for the source localization. It demonstrates that a maximum localization error of 1.26 cm for precise assessment and positioning of both internal and surface damage in aviation components. Next, a composite aircraft wing health monitoring platform is established and preliminarily verified. The results show the potential of the proposed FBG sensing system for accurate, real-time structural health monitoring, contributing significantly to enhanced aviation safety through non-destructive evaluation.