Summary
This paper presents the experimental results of strain measurements made by the fiber Bragg grating sensors embedded into polymer composite materials (PCMs). A series of performed experiments are described to demonstrate the capability of fiber optic sensors to measure strains in the case of their pronounced gradient distribution within the material, under compression and tension, at cyclic variation of strains with time and at different temperatures. A measuring technique is presented, and the results of strain measurements during the process of preparation of PCM including measurements of residual process‐induced strains are discussed.The results of strain measurements made by fiber optic strain sensors (FOSS) are compared with the results of numerical modeling based on the finite element method and independent measurement data obtained with the use of a digital optical system Vic‐3D and other experimental devices. The comparison made shows good agreement between the results obtained by the experimental methods and numerical simulation.The results of numerical computations demonstrate that the embedment of optical fibers in a PCM introduces perturbations in the strain distribution pattern in the vicinity of optical fibers but practically does not cause changes in the value of the strain tensor component measured by the FOSS. The conclusions about applicability range of FOSS embedded into PCM were made based upon the numerical simulation. The interrelation model between Bragg wavelength peak shift and the strain of the optical fiber in the fiber Bragg grating area for the sensor that is not affected by the environment is proposed.
The presence of process-induced strains induced by various manufacturing and operational factors is one of the characteristics of polymer composite materials (PCM). Conventional methods of registration and evaluation of process-induced strains can be laborious, time-consuming and demanding in terms of technical applications. The employment of embedded fibre-optic strain sensors (FOSS) offers a real prospect of measuring residual strains. This paper demonstrates the potential for using embedded FOSS for recording technological strains in a PCM plate. The PCM plate is manufactured from prepreg, using the direct compression-moulding method. In this method, the prepared reinforcing package is placed inside a mould, heated, and then exposed to compaction pressure. The examined technology can be used for positioning FOSS between the layers of the composite material. Fibre-optic sensors, interacting with the material of the examined object, make it possible to register the evolution of the strain process during all stages of polymer-composite formation. FOSS data were recorded with interrogator ASTRO X 327. The obtained data were processed using specially developed algorithms.
The application of embedded into material fiber-optic sensors based on Bragg gratings for strain measurement on the example of a cement sample during the manufacturing stage, under operational loads and upon the appearance and development of a defect is studied in the paper. The integrity and performance of fiber-optic sensors at all stages of the study, as well as the efficiency of strain measurement, have been demonstrated. An approach is implemented to register the appearance and development of defects based on information received from embedded fiber-optic sensors. The approach considered in the study is based on the location of sensors in the vicinity of the expected damage. The results obtained indicate the possibility of using embedded fiber-optic sensors to assess the mechanical state of civil structures.
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