Photonic Sensors for Wind Tunnel Measurements
- Date:
- 11th June 2025
- Location:
- Cranfield University
- Organisation:
- Cranfield University
- Host(s):
- Prof Steve James, Prof Ralph Tatam, Dr James Barrington, Prof Simon Prince
This one-day workshop will provide an introduction to state-of-the-art photonic sensors and instrumentation and their potential for use in wind tunnels.
Optical fibres can act as a sensing platform to address measurement challenges in the wind tunnel environment. Distributed, multiplexed, and point sensing of a range of parameters, including strain, temperature, flow, acceleration, pressure, and shape can be achieved using standard telecommunication optical fibres. In comparison to other sensing approaches, optical fibre sensors are compact in size, inherently low loss, ideally suited for a range of harsh environments, immune to electromagnetic interference, and do not require an electrical connection to the sensing element, allowing for remote measurements.
The Engineering Photonics Centre at Cranfield University is a well-established and internationally recognised team specialising in the development and practical deployment of advanced photonics instrumentation and sensing approaches. Optical fibre-based measurement systems developed by the team have been exploited in applications spanning railway infrastructure, geotechnology, cryogenic superconducting magnets and composite manufacture. In the aerospace sector, the Centre has instrumented fixed wing aircraft and rotor craft, performing measurements of strain, shape, and pressure under flight conditions, and wind tunnel models at Cranfield and the Aircraft Research Association.
The workshop will provide delegates with a solid understanding of the capabilities of optical fibre-based measurement systems, illustrated by case studies drawn from Engineering Photonics Centre’s experience. Supported with hands-on demonstrations with state-of-the-art instrumentation and the opportunity to understand the practicalities of deployment of the technology.
This event is free to attend for academic researchers working at a UK University. The fee for industry and academics from non-UK Universities is £150. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. All attendees are responsible for personal travel expenses.
The event will take place at DARTeC, Cranfield University from 10am to 4pm.
To register your interest in attending please complete the event registration form. Registration does not guarantee a place; attendance will be confirmed by email following review of applications by Cranfield University. Only those who receive confirmation of a place will be able to attend due to limited capacity.