Description: SDC�s Non-Invasive Environmental sensing system for Lifecycle management (NIEL) can be integrated during manufacture of composites making up habitats and space structures to provide up to the minute environmental data on the system over the entire lifecycle of the part from the moment the first ply is laid down to the time when the structure is retired. The NIEL system will include a network of strain, thermal, radiation, and damage sensing fiber optic sensors that are seamlessly embedded at various depths within the composite plies, tows, or weave making up the structure. In this Phase I SBIR, SDC will design, analyze, manufacture, and test a non-invasive fiber optic sensor embedding manufacturing process that provides unparalleled manufacturing and performance data at each ply depth within the part. The process will be non-invasive such that the embedding process is an integral component of the composite material, the fiber optic sensors do not induce failure initiation, and the sensor connector ends are ingressed/egressed from the part through a robust capillary compatible with the resin matrix. SDC will evaluate the embedding processes for survivability and performance and test the integrated parts to demonstrate the capability of the NIEL system for space structure lifecycle management.

Benefits: The development of the NIEL system has been specifically aligned with the requirements for Mars Exploration, Mars Resupply, Mars colonization, ARM missions, Jupiter exploration, and future satellites and spacecraft. By implementing the NIEL system into first flight articles an instrumented proof test can be performed of the actual flight article and the design safety factor can be reduced for the first flight. The detailed data collected by the NIEL system during the first flight can be used to redefine the design parameters in the next generation of the structures. The redesign could further reduce the safety factor based on a precise definition of conditions. The combination of the material savings and the weight savings at launch due to the lower required safety factors realizes a return on investment of 24 in the first flight, and an increasing return on investment for each subsequent flight.

In addition to the space structures market, embedded fiber optic sensing technologies have unlimited possibilities. Structural health monitoring systems that don�t impact the structural integrity of the composite parts can be implemented in aircraft, pressure vessels, ship structures, commercial vehicles, racing vehicles, and many more. The implementation of the NIEL system into these commercial sectors would realize returns on investments over 1000 purely through reduced maintenance and downtime costs. Overall, the NIEL system is a space exploration enabling technology that would change the landscape within the commercial market.