The utilization of Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors in innovative optical sensor networks has displayed remarkable potential in providing precise and dependable thermal measurements in hostile environments on Earth. Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI) blankets serve as critical components of spacecraft and are employed to regulate the temperature of sensitive components by reflecting or absorbing thermal radiation. To enable accurate and continuous monitoring of temperature along the length of the insulative barrier without compromising its flexibility and low weight, FBG sensors can be embedded within the thermal blanket, thereby enabling distributed temperature sensing. This capability can aid in optimizing the thermal regulation of the spacecraft and ensuring the reliable and safe operation of vital components. Furthermore, FBG sensors offer sev eral advantages over traditional temperature sensors, including high sensitivity, immunity to electromagnetic interference, and the ability to operate in harsh environments. These properties make FBG sensors an excellent option for thermal blankets in space applications, where precise temperature regulation is crucial for mission success. Nevertheless, the calibration of temperature sensors in vacuum conditions poses a significant challenge due to the lack of an appropriate calibration reference. Therefore, this paper aimed to investigate innovative solutions for calibrating temperature sensors in vacuum conditions. The proposed solutions have the potential to enhance the accuracy and reliability of temperature measurements in space applications, which can enable engineers to develop more resilient and dependable spacecraft systems.

During the last decades, innovative aircraft health management systems have been receiving increasing interest from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and aircraft operators. Their implementation could lead to substantial benefits: drastic cuts in turnaround time, operation costs, and Life Cycle Costs (LCCs) as well as sharp increases in system availability, safety, and reliability. An interconnectivity step-up is hence needed to guarantee a seamless data transfer. In this paper, an integrated open-source solution for reliable data transmission and near real-time graphical visualization is proposed. After a comprehensive calibration and verification campaign performed on a test stand, the overall system has been successfully validated on structural data measured using a network of Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs) mounted on a radio-controlled model aircraft. The result is an effective and robust system able to monitor near real-time critical parameters and health status of structures. With this system, the temperature and displacements of the structure can be displayed on a heat map arranged on a 3D model and visualized through a computer application on the ground. The proposed methodology can be applied to heterogeneous scenarios, ranging from maintenance planning activities to performance checks, providing an all-in-one solution for flight data management as well as other applications in the structural monitoring domain.

Optical fiber is a material that can transport light signals, so resulting useful for data transmission and sensing applications. Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBG) are a specific type of optical sensors that can measure parameters like temperature, strain, and vibration. The PhD program focuses on developing a sensing and monitoring strategy for aerospace systems using FBG sensors networks. The study will include material selection, optical fiber manufacturing, sensors packaging and integration, calibration and interrogation techniques and smart logics development for acquiring and controlling phenomena affecting the equipment under test. Some experimental activities have already been conducted to analyse thermal and mechanical sensing and to define a reliable methodology for integrating sensors into various systems. During the tests, FBGs were found to have high accuracy and sensitivity for thermal variations, mechanical strain and short-term thermal transients. The crucial role of bounding technique was also enhanced. Additionally, more complex tests have been conducted for sensor more realistic systems, both for space and aeronautic environments. The results gained in this first period are positive and encouraging, suggesting further developments during PhD program.

Testing is essential to validate the effort put into building a new system. In engineering fields like aerospace, marine, mechanical, and others, these tests are often performed in environments similar to the one in which the system will be immersed in order to verify its suitability to operate. They often require tools that allow the data collected to be viewed in real-time or near real-time and in a way that can be easily interpreted by an operator. The purpose of this paper is therefore to present a new software that simplifies the visualization of data coming from fiber Bragg grating sensors. In this regard, it offers multiple functions and display modes useful for carrying out tests with greater awareness of what is happening at a certain moment. The software has been successfully tested and verified through an experimental campaign in the laboratory and the field.

The technologies grouped under the term Extended Reality (XR) are constantly evolving. Only fifty years ago, they were delegated to the science fiction strand and were not feasible except in the distant future; today, they are successfully used for personnel training, diagnostic maintenance, education, and more. This article focuses on one such technology: Augmented Reality (AR). In particular, it aims to present an improvement of a software created to monitor the values of Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors for aeronautical applications. The ability to overlay the status of various network-connected smart elements allows the operator to evaluate actual conditions in a highly intuitive and seamless manner, thus accelerating various activities. It was evaluated in a controlled environment to perform strain and temperature measurements of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), where it demonstrated its usefulness.

For a solar-powered unmanned aerial system (UAS), the performance and integration of the solar panel are of paramount importance. This paper examines the safety aspects of solar panels in electrical power systems, with a particular focus on the installation of solar cells onto an aircraft’s carbon fiber wing. Three distinct installation techniques are evaluated, and their respective advantages and disadvantages are discussed. A preliminary test is conducted to assess the viability of adhering commercial solar panels intended for boats using a bio-adhesive layer placed underneath the series of encapsulated solar panels. To ensure adhesion, the piece is placed under a vacuum. The subsequent test evaluates the lamination of the solar cells onto the carbon fiber skin with a resin as a component of the laminate. Finally, as a definitive solution, the adhesion of the solar panels onto the entire polymer layer used to seal the solar cells themselves was evaluated. This solution offers objective advantages in terms of adhesion, lightness and whiteness. Adhesion is guaranteed by the bond of the thermoplastic polymer used to seal the photovoltaic cells and the epoxy resin of the laminate. The bond is created through the autoclave process, which involves placing the laminate and solar cells in an oven at a specific temperature and pressure for a defined period of time. This solution results in a weight reduction of approximately three times compared to a solution not specifically designed for these materials and a reduction in thickness of approximately two times.