Xu Cheng, Sharif Khodaei Zahra
Department of Aeronautics, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
Sensors (Basel). 2020 Jul 21;20(14):4040. doi: 10.3390/s20144040.
In this paper, Rayleigh backscattering sensors (RBS) are used to realize shape sensing of beam-like structures. Compared to conventional shape sensing systems based on fibre Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, RBS are capable of continuous lateral sensing. Compared to other types of distributed fibre optic sensors (FOS), RBS have a higher spatial resolution. First, the RBS's strain sensing accuracy is validated by an experiment comparing it with strain gauge response. After that, two shape sensing algorithms (the coordinate transformation method (CTM) and the strain-deflection equation method (SDEM)) based on the distributed FOS' input strain data are derived. The algorithms are then optimized according to the distributed FOS' features, to make it applicable to complex and/or combine loading situations while maintaining high reliability in case of sensing part malfunction. Numerical simulations are carried out to validate the algorithms' accuracy and compare their accuracy. The simulation shows that compared to the FBG-based system, the RBS system has a better performance in configuring the shape when the structure is under complex loading. Finally, a validation experiment is conducted in which the RBS-based shape sensing system is used to configure the shape of a composite cantilever-beam-like specimen under concentrated loading. The result is then compared with the optical camera-measured shape. The experimental results show that both shape sensing algorithms predict the shape with high accuracy comparable with the optical camera result.
在本文中,瑞利背向散射传感器(RBS)用于实现梁状结构的形状传感。与基于光纤布拉格光栅(FBG)传感器的传统形状传感系统相比,RBS能够进行连续的横向传感。与其他类型的分布式光纤传感器(FOS)相比,RBS具有更高的空间分辨率。首先,通过将RBS与应变片响应进行比较的实验来验证其应变传感精度。之后,基于分布式FOS的输入应变数据推导了两种形状传感算法(坐标变换法(CTM)和应变-挠度方程法(SDEM))。然后根据分布式FOS的特性对算法进行优化,使其适用于复杂和/或组合加载情况,同时在传感部件出现故障时保持高可靠性。进行了数值模拟以验证算法的准确性并比较它们的精度。模拟结果表明,与基于FBG的系统相比,在结构承受复杂载荷时,RBS系统在形状配置方面具有更好的性能。最后,进行了一项验证实验,其中基于RBS的形状传感系统用于配置集中载荷下复合悬臂梁状试样的形状。然后将结果与光学相机测量的形状进行比较。实验结果表明,两种形状传感算法都能以与光学相机结果相当的高精度预测形状。