“Lunch and Learn” at EDF

Fiber optic measurement methods come with the advantage of being insensitive to interference from the environment. We all know that. What we also know is that actually using them in test and monitoring projects was not so easy so far. Either because there were steep learning curves or simply no integrated DAQ solution available. However, we have great news for you!

The Vasa Museum in Stockholm houses Vasa, a 17th-century Swedish warship raised from the seabed in 1961. Almost completely preserved, she is both a cultural icon and a full-scale research platform for naval architecture, materials science, and maritime archaeology. But preserving a 400-year-old oak hull on land poses a critical structural challenge: without buoyancy, the ship’s weight is carried through discrete support points, and slow deformation has already been detected. To protect Vasa for future generations, the museum is replacing the original display cradle with an adjustable steel support system equipped with a real-time force monitoring and long-term structural health monitoring (SHM) solution.

Strain gauge bridges provide signals that depends on bridge excitation. Therefor the bridge signal is expressed in mV/V (ratiometric measurement).

When building a rocket there is a whole flight certification process, and qualification is an important part of that. It proves the hardware meets the requirements and performs the way it is designed to do. Of all parts of a rocket, the engine section is perhaps the most critical during launch. The weight of the massive rocket is pushing down, while the engines are pushing up with millions of pounds of thrust. Whether it is an engine for experimental rockets or for commercial spaceflight, adequate testing is critical to the success of each launch program.