Optimal placement of FBG sensors for reconstruction of flexible plate structures using modal approach

An optimization method based on mode approach and improved genetic algorithms is developed for optimal FBG sensors placement in health monitoring and reconstruction of flexible thin-plate structure. The optimization objective is to obtain a kind of placement of FBG sensors which has the best reconstruction effects. The structure is modeled using Finite Element methods and modal analysis is carried out to create a modal space which provides data for both shape-reconstruction and error-calculation. The optimization is performed by improved genetic algorithm that uses the mean square error of reconstruction for the comparison of different optimal solution candidates. FBG sensors were arranged on the structural surface and experiment with an optimized sensor placement were performed to verify the effectiveness of the method and the simulation results.