Non-Destructive Testing of Aircraft Structures Using Microwire-Based Tensile Stress Sensor

Featured Application The developed microwire-based tensile stress sensor represents an original solution which can be used for the tensile stress measurement of various types of materials, including aircraft structures. The main advantage of the designed sensor is that the measurement can be contactless and the sensitive part of the sensor (microwire) can be embedded directly into the composite material. The development of non-destructive methods for material testing and diagnostics has been, in the last few decades, focused mainly on optical, infrared, thermography, ultrasonic, acoustic or X-ray principles. This article deals with the possibility of adaptation of magnetic sensors for the diagnostics of aircraft structures. The developed sensors are based on the enhanced induction method, allowing contactless diagnostics of the material structure. In the role of the sensing element, amorphous magnetic microwires were used. Thanks to their dimensions, microwires can either be placed on the material surface or be embedded directly into the composite material without structural violations. In the article, the measurement principles of the developed microwire-based tensile stress sensors, together with the experimental measurements with the sensors originally tested in the aircraft wing, are presented.