Apparatus and method for monitoring fatigue and debonding of composite structures

摘要

This research disclosure relates to an apparatus and a method to monitor fatigue and debonding of composite structures. Especially, it relates to an apparalus and a method to monitor adhesion of a bonding layer between an actuator and an optical element by means of fiber-Bragg-grating (FBG) based sensors. Health monitoring of adhesive bonds in optical systems, for example optical systems comprising adaptive optical elements, is important to ensure functionality of these systems. For example, an adhesive layer that bonds one or more actuators to a backside of a deformable mirror may degrade over time and or usage. Degradation of the adhesive layer may result in fatigue and or debonding of the composite structure. As debonding of an actuator to a minor occurs, steering or shaping of the mirror may be uncontrolled or even not possible. It would be appreciated that degradation of the adhesive layer can be. (periodically) monitored remotely to avoid issues.