On the use of fiber optic sensors and operational modal analysis for structural health monitoring in aerospace structures

This study proposes an innovative approach to real-time structural monitoring of an aerospace system, leveraging fiber optic sensors such as Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG). By integrating such sensors with Operational Modal Analysis (OMA), the current study aims to detect changes in dynamic properties induced by structural damages. A novel approach for damage detection and localization based on strain mode shapes is proposed. Through experiments on a scaled model of a composite glider equipped with a set of FBGs, the work evaluates the effectiveness of the proposed method under simulated damage conditions. Results indicate promising applicability in identifying the presence of a damage and its location, suggesting potential for practical implementations in airborne aerospace structure monitoring.