Monitoring of bolt clamping force at high temperatures using metal-packaged regenerated fiber Bragg grating strain sensors

Insufficient or excessive preload has been regarded as the main issue that may endanger the safety of bolted joints operated at high temperatures. A new technique for monitoring the bolt clamping force is thus proposed using metal-packaged regenerated fiber Bragg grating (RFBG) strain sensors spot-welded onto the bolt. The measurement of the clamping force in a bolted steel-steel joint subjected to thermal loading is conducted. The experimental results show that the bolt clamping force can be monitored by the metal-packaged RFBG strain sensor at high temperatures up to 500 °C. This technique provides a new possibility for structural health monitoring of bolted joints operated at high temperatures.