Abstract: The disclosure provides systems and methods for data analysis of experimental data. The analysis can include reference data that are not directly generated from the present experiment, which reference data may be values of the experimental parameters that were either provided by a user, computed by the system with input from a user, or computed by the system without using any input from a user. Another example of such reference data may be information about the instrument, such as the calibration method of the instrument.

Abstract: A sensor system for sensing deformation of a flexible structure includes a beam structure that will be coupled to a surface of the flexible structure having a natural frequency fs, an axial strain ?axialstructure, and a shear strain ?xystructure associated therewith. The beam structure has an axial strain ?axialbeam and a shear strain ?xybeam associated therewith. The beam structure satisfies criteria defined by minimization of a root mean square difference between ?axialstructure and ?axialbeam and minimization of a root mean square difference between ?xystructure and ?xybeam. Fiber optic strain sensors are coupled to and distributed in a spaced-apart fashion along the beam structure. The beam structure is more flexible than the flexible structure such that a combination of the beam structure, the fiber optic sensors, and the flexible structure has a natural frequency fc defined by (0.95)fs?fc?(1.05)fs.