0427738 PI: Sridhar Krishnaswamy Northwester Univ.
An adaptive Fiber-Optic Sensor network to monitor dynamic strains using a novel array demodulation scheme will be developed. Unlike scanned-demodulation approaches where each sensor is probed sequentially, the proposed approach will enable all the fiber sensors to be active at all times. The sensor network will also automatically adapt to low-frequency sensor drift such as those induced by slow structural deformation or temperature changes, while retaining sensitivity to dynamic strains. The adaptive fiber-optic sensor network can therefore be used to monitor structural vibration, impact damage, acoustic emissions, or intentionally-induced ultrasonic signals. Applications of such a system include structural health monitoring, process monitoring, and phased-array ultrasonic imaging of structures.
The project will include sensor and system development, modeling, and applications to SHM and process monitoring. The primary application focus will be structural health monitoring using ultrasonic and acoustic emission sensors. Other applications that will be explored include photo-acoustic imaging of structures for flaws, and process monitoring of polymer composites where the sensors are embedded into the structure at the time of manufacturing and are used to assess the cure state of the composite.
The project will train students in the cross-disciplinary fields of materials characterization, optics, and ultrasonics.
This is a project under Sensors Initiative NSF04-522.
