The present paper reports the outcomes of activities concerning a real-time SHM system for debonding flaw detection based on ground testing of an aircraft structural component as a basis for condition-based maintenance. In this application, a damage detection method unrelated to structural or load models is investigated. In the reported application, the system is applied for real-time detection of two flaws, kissing bond type, artificially deployed over a full-scale composite spar under the action of external bending loads. The proposed algorithm, local high-edge onset (LHEO), detects damage as an edge onset in both the space and time domains, correlating current strain levels to next strain levels within a sliding inner product proportional to the sensor step and the acquisition time interval, respectively. Real-time implementation can run on a consumer-grade computer. The SHM algorithm was written in Matlab and compiled as a Python module, then called from a multiprocess wrapper code with separate operations for data reception and data elaboration. The proposed SHM system is made of FBG arrays, an interrogator, an in-house SHM code, an original decoding software (SW) for real-time implementation of multiple SHM algorithms and a continuous interface with an external operator.
Keywords: composite structures; damage characterization; real-time processing; sensors; smart devices; structural health monitoring.