Distributed Force and Moment Measurement System

The structural design of aircraft and their propulsion systems is a challenging task that requires accurate, flexible ground facilities capable of operating over the flight regimes of emerging subsonic, supersonic, and hypersonic designs. Luna Innovations is proposing to develop distributed fiber optic sensing technology specifically designed to make high precision, thermally compensated, distributed force and moment measurements on wind tunnel test articles and supporting structures. Luna will leverage its patented Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry technology to provide unprecedented high speed data at extremely high spatial resolution. The sensing fiber will have the capability of being embedded into composite test structures, attached to the structure of a flight vehicle or model, and used to simplify force balance designs. This advancement is needed in NASA facilities to support the Aeronautics Test Program's effort to protect current, and provide additional test capabilities, and the Fundamental Aeronautics Program's goals to evaluate new airframe designs through aerodynamic research. An all-optical distributed force and moment measurement system will be applicable to test articles across all of NASA's ground-based aerodynamic test facilities. The system will enable support of projects such as future Lunar and Mars probes, fundamental aerodynamics research, and commercial systems testing.

While NASA is the leader in fundamental research for advancing aerospace technology within the United States, commercial entities are also working to advance the state-of-the-art in high and low-speed propulsion, flight vehicles, and fundamental aerospace sciences. The technology developed during this project will enable commercial air and spacecraft developers to obtain vital data which will improve vehicle design, safety, and efficiency. In addition, the distributed strain sensing system developed during this program will be applicable across industry to all structural monitoring applications in which electrical gauges are too cumbersome to use and do not provide sufficient speed, spatial resolution, and survivability. A configurable, versatile distributed fiber optic system provides a non-intrusive method of accurately measuring thermally compensated forces and moments, as opposed to electrical gauges, remaining EMI-resistant. Luna expects this system will act as a significant upgrade to existing facilities in which no current instrumentation exists with these capabilities.

The implementation of distributed fiber optic sensing technology into current and future NASA projects will enable improved accuracy in aerodynamic measurements made across NASA facilities under a variety of test conditions and at a reduced cost. Operating at a reduced cost will allow more extensive testing of design features and system level designs in support of the next generation CEV, Lunar and Mars landing modules, and advanced propulsion systems. Fiber optic sensors are the only platform capable of accurately and reliably spanning the temperature range that is tested in the various NASA facilities from the National Transonics Facility to the HTT. It will also provide NASA with the capability of embedding the sensing system into composite structures for the purpose of monitoring key parameters without affecting the performance of the composite material. This technology will demonstrate itself as being vital to increasing the future design and testing capabilities of NASA.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 3) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.