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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) 20020080112: Combining Sense and Intelligence for Smart Structures PDF

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Preview NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) 20020080112: Combining Sense and Intelligence for Smart Structures

Combining Sense and Intelligence for Smarter Structures I n an effort to keep pace with the demands module that is rugged, compact and light-weight, FS of a continuously growing society and a new and immune to electromagnetic interference. F NO millennium, builders, engineers, and archi- These features make the I*Sense multisensor PI S tects are constructing taller skyscrapers, longer arrays favorable for smart structure applications, — TS bridges, and faster aircraft. But with these savvy including smart buildings, bridges, highways, FI NE technological advancements comes the need for dams, power plants, ships, and oil tankers, as E B a superior safety system that can provide real- well as space vehicles, space stations, and other L A CI time structural data to prevent the possibility of space structures. For instance, the system can be R ME catastrophic failure. Intelligent Fiber Optic used as an early warning and detection device, M O Systems (IFOS), Inc., a leading photonic with alarms being set to monitor the maximum C company located in Sunnyvale, California, allowable strain and stress values at various believes it has a viable solution: the company points of a given structure. has positioned itself for rapid growth in the IFOS continued to enhance the product optical networking market with the development design even further by adding multiple sensors of the I*Sense™ 14000 Fiber-Optic Spectral on a single fiber. The I*Sense 14000 model Monitoring System, a high-speed, high-precision, makes parallel, high-bandwidth measurement of modular measurement application. signals within an array of multiplexed optical IFOS developed the I*Sense technology with sensors technically possible and economical. The assistance from a NASA Langley Research technology has the capability to monitor optical Center Small Business Innovation Research systems that are up to several kilometers from (SBIR) contract. NASA and IFOS collaborated the unit on a single 250-micrometer diameter to create sensing network designs that have high optical fiber. Moreover, the system’s data sensitivity, low power consumption, and signifi- acquisition software and hardware permit the cant potential for mass production. The joint- monitoring of four wavelengths per fiber research effort led to the development of a module, and are expandable to accommodate The I*Sense™ 14000 detects strain and stress values of smart structures, such as bridges, buildings, and dams. 80 PUBLIC SAFETY The acquisition software for the I*Sense™ 14000 returns FS F O real-time sensor feedback to a N PI personal computer. S — S T FI E N E B L A CI R E M M O C monitoring systems with multiple module planning to advance the I*Sense technology configurations; all units are compatible with even further with applications in temperature personal computers equipped with Microsoft® and pressure sensing. The company notes that Windows® operating systems. The company is the I*Sense system’s fiber Bragg grating building- also pressing ahead with its latest commercial blocks (wavelength-selective reflectors embedded model, the I*Sense 18000, which allows for inside the fiber through a specialized fabrication parallel, high-bandwidth measurement of eight process) could potentially be used with materials multiplexed optical sensors. that are electrostrictive, magnetostrictive, and The aerospace industry has expressed consid- piezoelectric to act as transducers for measure- erable interest in employing I*Sense systems to ment of electric and magnetic fields, voltages, monitor operational parameters and structural acceleration, velocity, displacement, and vibration integrity. More specifically, aerospace companies frequency. Temperature-sensitive environments, are considering utilization of the sensing systems such as greenhouses, arctic and marine regions, with composite materials to reduce the cost and and space, may also benefit greatly from the weight of airframes. According to IFOS, its monitoring capabilities of I*Sense. ❖ fiber sensors offer distinct advantages over electrical sensors, ultimately making the I*Sense I*Sense™ is a trademark of Intelligent Fiber Optic Systems, networks a perfect match for smart skins on Inc. both aircraft and space vehicles, as well as Microsoft® and Windows® are registered trademarks of many other aerospace structural health monitor- Microsoft Corporation. ing applications, including supersonic transport. While IFOS’ focus to date has been on multiplexed strain sensing applications, it is PUBLIC SAFETY 81

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