Embedded Sensors for Smart Parts

Fiber optic sensors are ideal for creating “Smart Parts,” components with embedded sensors able to detect and report the physical state of the material and component.

Embedded strain sensors have been shown to be very effective in detecting and locating material structural damage, which is often not visible with composite materials.

High-Definition Fiber Optic Sensing (HD-FOS)

High-definition fiber optic sensing (HD-FOS) is ideally suited for instrumenting components and structures for long-term monitoring and inspection over the entire life cycle of the part. First, HD-FOS sensors are very low profile and flexible, allowing them to be easily embedded into a variety of composite structures.  

HD-FOS sensors have been successfully woven into composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs), installed between sheets of CFRP structures, and embedded into additively-manufactured parts.  

HD-FOS sensors, with sub-millimeter measurement resolution, deliver continuous measurements along the embedded fiber and therefore provide more comprehensive area coverage, compared to discrete point sensors.