Fastener equipped with an untethered fiber-optic strain gauge and related method of using the same
US6101884A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 10, 1997 |
| Grant date | Aug 15, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 10, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01B11/16
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method for measuring strain on a structure having a bore and an untethered fiber-optic strain gauge embedded in the bore, which includes the steps of inserting a coupler portion of a fiber-optic cable into the bore in operative relationship to the fiber-optic strain gauge, and using an optical cavity length measurement device attached to the distal end of the fiber-optic cable to measure the strain on the structure. The coupler portion of the fiber-optic cable is removed from the bore after the strain on the structure has been measured. In an illustrative embodiment, the structure is a fastener, e.g., a rivet, used to join together the aluminum skin and the airframe of an aircraft, the bore being provided coincident with the central, longitudinal axis of the rivet.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.