This article discusses the optimal placement of fiber optical sensors to detect damages in thin-walled lightweight structures. Both, measurement sensitivity and data management indicate that strain sensors are optimally placed if they measure no signal if the structure is undamaged. Such locations are found by in-depth structure analysis, particularly by analysis of the strain state of the deformed structure. Although the fundamental principle and numerical algorithm is demonstrated by means of a simple metallic plate it is shown that the results are in general applicable to both, fiber optical sensors attached on the surface and also sensors embedded between the plies of laminated composite materials.
doi: 10.12783/SHM2015/138