World-first miniaturized fiber-optical monitoring system embedded in composite material
Monday, June 30, 2014 - 06:00
in Physics & Chemistry
Nanoelectronics research center imec, Ghent University, and their partners in the European FP7 project SMARTFIBER have demonstrated the world's first miniaturized fiber-optical sensor system than can be fully embedded in a composite material. This achievement paves the way toward smart composites that enable continued and automatic monitoring of the structural health of the composite material in -for example- tidal blades, wind turbines, airplanes (fuselage, wings, …) or marine structures (masts, antennas, hulls of sail yachts, navy ships, propellers).