Acoustic emission crack detection with FBG

A Bragg grating based acoustic emission crack detection (AECD) sensor system is developed. The ultimate goal of the sensor system is to provide structural health monitoring of composite structures. Various aspects of the sensor system including the parameters involving the optical filter using a matched fiber Bragg grating have been analyzed. The prototype sensor system was tested using pencil lead break tests and Open-Hole-Tension (OHT) specimens (ASTM D 5766). The fiber Bragg grating sensor was embedded into the composite tension specimen at the mid-plane and outside of the region under strain so as to reduce the effects of unwanted structural strains in the sensor response. Impact tests with the surface mounted sensor system determined the sensitivity of the sensor to the direction of the stress wave. The tests demonstrate the ability of the AECD sensor system to detect a pencil lead break event and actual AE events from a composite specimen both in the near surface and embedded configurations.