Fiber Optic Sensing Technologies

About this technology

Overview

NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center is offering companies that provide sensing solutions for monitoring of structures and asset management of storage tanks a unique opportunity to expand their product line to include unprecedented capabilities. Known as FOSS (for fiber optic sensing system), NASA's patented, award-winning technology portfolio combines advanced sensors and innovative algorithms into a robust package that accurately and cost-effectively monitors a host of critical parameters in real time. These include position/deformation (displacement, twist, rotation), stiffness (bending, torsion, vibration), operational loads (bending moments, shear loads, torques), strength/stress (pressure/fatigue, breakage prediction), and magnetic fields (cracks or other flaws in safety-critical metal structures) for structural health monitoring applications. In addition to monitoring the structure of a tank, FOSS is capable of sensing the tank's inventory, including amounts, temperatures, and stratification (oil vs. water, sediment vs. liquid, thermal layers).