The emerging concept of structural health management relies on extensive onboard diagnostic sensors that can provide near real-time information about the state of a structure so that informed prognostic assessment can be made of the continuing reliability of the structure. Here, we will discuss two types of sensing platforms that can provide valuable information about the state of a structure: 1D fiber-optic sensors and 2D thin-film sensors. Both fiber-optic and thin film sensors are easily integrated withstructures,and can offer local and/or distributed sensing capabilities. Parameters that can be sensedinclude:static and dynamic strain, acoustic emission, vibration, corrosion products, moistureingressionetc.

About the speaker:

Sridhar Krishnaswamyreceived the B. Tech degree in aeronautics from the Indian Institute of Technology, in 1983, and the M.S. andPh.Ddegrees in aeronautics from California Institute of Technology, in 1984 and 1989, respectively. He was a research engineer in applied mechanics, University of California, San Diego in 1989.

Since 1990, he has been an Assistant Professor, an Associate Professor, and a Full Professorwiththe Mechanical Engineering Department, Northwestern University, Evanston. From 2006, he has been the director of Center for Smart Structures and Materials (formerly Center for Quality Engineering & Failure Prevention). He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a Fellow of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering.

He has been actively involved in the areas of nondestructive materials characterization, optical metrology, structural health management, fiber-optic sensors, and thin film patterning and characterization.