Development of an FBG-based hinge moment measuring system for wind tunnel testing

Development of an FBG-based hinge moment measuring system for wind tunnel testing

A. Taraborrelli, A. Gurioli, P. De Fidelibus, E. Casciaro, M. Boffadossi, P. Bettini

Abstract. This paper presents the development and implementation of a hinge moment measuring system for wind tunnel tests based on Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors. These sensors, which are drawn directly into optical fibers, are capable of measuring strain and temperature variations and represent a precious addition to the aeronautical industry thanks to their peculiar characteristics, including high accuracy, low invasivity, embeddability and electromagnetic immunity. In detail, the development of the system exploits a combination of Fused Deposition Modeling technology and FemtoSecond® Gratings to design and create an independent, deformable structure in which a set of FBGs could be embedded within internal curved channels obtained during the 3D-printing process. This involved a complete re-design of the interface between the stabilizer and the elevator of a horizontal tail model. The material used for producing the structure is ULTEM 9085™, which made the development of the system particularly cost-effective and efficient. The paper also describes the installation of the FBGs, including the design of the channels, the selection of a glue, its injection technique and the following calibration procedure. Finally, the component is tested in the wind tunnel facility of Leonardo Aircraft Division in Venegono (VA, Italy), and the obtained results for some elevator’s deflections are presented.

Keywords
Additive Manufacturing, Fiber Bragg Gratings, Wind Tunnel Testing, Hinge Moment

Published online 11/1/2023, 4 pages
Copyright © 2023 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA

Citation: A. Taraborrelli, A. Gurioli, P. De Fidelibus, E. Casciaro, M. Boffadossi, P. Bettini, Development of an FBG-based hinge moment measuring system for wind tunnel testing, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 37, pp 417-420, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644902813-92

The article was published as article 92 of the book Aeronautics and Astronautics

Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.

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