The bolted or riveted lap joint is the principle method of joining the aluminum sheets which comprise aircraft fuselages and wing assemblies. Crevice corrosion within the lap associated with normal environmental exposure and operational fatigue results in the
deterioration of the joint's strength and possible catastrophic failures. The inspection of lap joints for fastener degradation and internal crevice corrosion, however, is difficult, tedious and expensive. This paper discusses the use of an interferometric fiber optic strain sensor for the
detection of degradation in the structural integrity of aircraft lap joints via an acoustic vibration signature technique.
Keywords: corrosion, fatigue, fiber optic sensing in aircraft lap joints, deterioration of aircraft lap joints, corrosion sensing, remote sensing of structural degradation.