Transient load monitoring on a composite null ship using distributed fiber optic Bragg grating sensors

We describe strain data recorded using fiber optic Bragg grating sensors mounted to the hull of a GRP composite ship. Twelve gratings were attached to the structure, in three arrays of four elements. The electro-optics system used was able to monitor a single set of four elements at a time. The preliminary results indicate the usefulness of distributed fiber Bragg grating sensor systems for monitoring transient loading events on such structures.