Health and Usage Monitoring of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Using Fiber-Optic Sensors

An airborne, high resolution, load tracking and structural health monitoring system for unmanned aerial vehicles composite structure is presented. The system is based on embedded optical fibre Bragg sensors, interrogated in real time during flight. The vibration signature during ground testing has been recorded and analyzed, making it possible to identify and trace the dynamic response of the airborne structure and engine during flight. Tracking the structural behaviour over time can be used for Condition Based Maintenance (CBM), reducing maintenance cost.