Microstructured Optical Fiber Sensors Embedded in a Laminate Composite for Smart Material Applications

• Main Authors: Hugo Thienpont, Hartmut Bartelt, Francis Berghmans, Martin Becker, Pawel Mergo, Waclaw Urbanczyk, Joris Degrieck, Eli Voet, Sophie Eve, Nicolas Lammens, Sanne Sulejmani, Thomas Geernaert, Geert Luyckx, Camille Sonnenfeld
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2011-02-01
• Series: Sensors
• Subjects: Fiber Bragg grating; carbon fiber reinforced polymer; strain field monitoring
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/11/3/2566/
• ISSN: 1424-8220

Fiber Bragg gratings written in highly birefringent microstructured optical fiber with a dedicated design are embedded in a composite fiber-reinforced polymer. The Bragg peak wavelength shifts are measured under controlled axial and transversal strain and during thermal cycling of the composite sample. We obtain a sensitivity to transversal strain that exceeds values reported earlier in literature by one order of magnitude. Our results evidence the relevance of using microstructured optical fibers for structural integrity monitoring of composite material structures.