Experimental analysis of buckling in aircraft skin panels by fibre optic sensors

Abstract

Three blade-stiffened CFRP panels with co-cured stiffener webs, manufactured by means of an elastomeric mould, have been tested under compressive load. Several Bragg grating sensors have been surface bonded on two of the stiffened panels and have been embedded into the stiffener webs of the third panel. The Bragg grating sensors measured the strain distribution in the stiffener web and in the skin panels. The bucking onset was clearly detected in every case, the post-buckling behaviour can be tracked, but the information is heavily dependent on the right choice of the sensor position and the buckling mode. To calibrate the system, and to evaluate the influence of different curing pressures, and the use of unidirectional or fabric prepreg material, tensile test specimens were made on flat panels. The strain measurements provided by the optical fibre sensors in tensile tests were compared with the strain measurements provided by conventional clamp extensometers.