Real-Time Damage Detection in an Airplane Wing During Wind Tunnel Testing Under Realistic Flight Conditions

A real-time structural health monitoring (SHM) system of an airplane composite wing with adjustable damage is reported, where testing under realistic flight conditions is carried out in the controllable and repeatable environment of an industrial wind tunnel. An FBG-based sensing array monitors a de...

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Main Authors: Yoav Ofir, Uri Ben-Simon, Shay Shoham, Iddo Kressel, Bernardino Galasso, Umberto Mercurio, Antonio Concilio, Gianvito Apuleo, Jonathan Bohbot, Moshe Tur
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Sensors
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/14/4423
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author Yoav Ofir
Uri Ben-Simon
Shay Shoham
Iddo Kressel
Bernardino Galasso
Umberto Mercurio
Antonio Concilio
Gianvito Apuleo
Jonathan Bohbot
Moshe Tur
author_facet Yoav Ofir
Uri Ben-Simon
Shay Shoham
Iddo Kressel
Bernardino Galasso
Umberto Mercurio
Antonio Concilio
Gianvito Apuleo
Jonathan Bohbot
Moshe Tur
author_sort Yoav Ofir
collection DOAJ
description A real-time structural health monitoring (SHM) system of an airplane composite wing with adjustable damage is reported, where testing under realistic flight conditions is carried out in the controllable and repeatable environment of an industrial wind tunnel. An FBG-based sensing array monitors a debonded region, whose compromised structural strength is regained by a set of lockable fasteners. Damage tunability is achieved by loosening some of or all these fasteners. Real-time analysis of the data collected involves Principal Component Analysis, followed by Hotelling’s <i>T</i>-squared and <i>Q</i> measures. With previously set criteria, real-time data collection and processing software can declare the structural health status as normal or abnormal. During testing, the system using the <i>Q</i> measure successfully identified the initiation of the damage and its extent, while the <i>T</i>-squared one returned limited outcomes.
format Article
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institution Kabale University
issn 1424-8220
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Sensors
spelling doaj-art-2945f6313f4549998b73ef688e4ff4872025-08-20T03:32:27ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202025-07-012514442310.3390/s25144423Real-Time Damage Detection in an Airplane Wing During Wind Tunnel Testing Under Realistic Flight ConditionsYoav Ofir0Uri Ben-Simon1Shay Shoham2Iddo Kressel3Bernardino Galasso4Umberto Mercurio5Antonio Concilio6Gianvito Apuleo7Jonathan Bohbot8Moshe Tur9IAI Aviation Group, Ben Gurion International Airport, Lod 7010000, IsraelIAI Aviation Group, Ben Gurion International Airport, Lod 7010000, IsraelIAI Aviation Group, Ben Gurion International Airport, Lod 7010000, IsraelIAI Aviation Group, Ben Gurion International Airport, Lod 7010000, IsraelCIRA, The Italian Aerospace Research Centre, 81043 Capua, ItalyCIRA, The Italian Aerospace Research Centre, 81043 Capua, ItalyCIRA, The Italian Aerospace Research Centre, 81043 Capua, ItalyPiaggio Aerospace Industries, 17038 Villanova D’Albenga, ItalySchool of Electrical Engineering, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, IsraelSchool of Electrical Engineering, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, IsraelA real-time structural health monitoring (SHM) system of an airplane composite wing with adjustable damage is reported, where testing under realistic flight conditions is carried out in the controllable and repeatable environment of an industrial wind tunnel. An FBG-based sensing array monitors a debonded region, whose compromised structural strength is regained by a set of lockable fasteners. Damage tunability is achieved by loosening some of or all these fasteners. Real-time analysis of the data collected involves Principal Component Analysis, followed by Hotelling’s <i>T</i>-squared and <i>Q</i> measures. With previously set criteria, real-time data collection and processing software can declare the structural health status as normal or abnormal. During testing, the system using the <i>Q</i> measure successfully identified the initiation of the damage and its extent, while the <i>T</i>-squared one returned limited outcomes.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/14/4423structural health monitoringSHMdamage detectionreal-time processingwind tunnel testingcomposite wing
spellingShingle Yoav Ofir
Uri Ben-Simon
Shay Shoham
Iddo Kressel
Bernardino Galasso
Umberto Mercurio
Antonio Concilio
Gianvito Apuleo
Jonathan Bohbot
Moshe Tur
Real-Time Damage Detection in an Airplane Wing During Wind Tunnel Testing Under Realistic Flight Conditions
Sensors
structural health monitoring
SHM
damage detection
real-time processing
wind tunnel testing
composite wing
title Real-Time Damage Detection in an Airplane Wing During Wind Tunnel Testing Under Realistic Flight Conditions
title_full Real-Time Damage Detection in an Airplane Wing During Wind Tunnel Testing Under Realistic Flight Conditions
title_fullStr Real-Time Damage Detection in an Airplane Wing During Wind Tunnel Testing Under Realistic Flight Conditions
title_full_unstemmed Real-Time Damage Detection in an Airplane Wing During Wind Tunnel Testing Under Realistic Flight Conditions
title_short Real-Time Damage Detection in an Airplane Wing During Wind Tunnel Testing Under Realistic Flight Conditions
title_sort real time damage detection in an airplane wing during wind tunnel testing under realistic flight conditions
topic structural health monitoring
SHM
damage detection
real-time processing
wind tunnel testing
composite wing
url https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/14/4423
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