Structural health monitoring of the additively manufactured structures with embedded fiber optic sensors

Additively manufacturing can bring opportunities and risk factors to the aerospace industry. On one hand, additive manufacturing allows the manufacturing of structures with geometries that are difficult or impossible to fabricatewith conventional machining procedures. This geometry flexibility may lead to components with a greater strength-to-weight ratio, which can enhance the aircraft’s fuel efficiency. On the other hand, possible defects in the additively manufactured parts can lead to reduced strength and increased fatigue susceptibility. In addition, it is very difficult to apply traditional nondestructive testing techniques to additively manufactured specimens with complex geometry due to limited accessibility.....