Development of life extension strategies for Australian military aircraft, using structural health monitoring of composite repairs and joints

The DSTO Centre of Expertise for Structural Mechanics (COE-SM) has recently developed methodologies for simulating structural health monitoring (SHM) systems for adhesively bonded composite repairs to Australian military aircraft. System design, interrogation strategy, and sensor placement are discussed, with particular emphasis on the development of techniques for embedding optical fibre sensors for optimal SHM system response.