Monitoring LCM Process by FBG Sensor Under Birefringence

Abstract

Abstract: Optical fibre Bragg gratings (FBG) provide accurate and non‐intrusive strain and temperature local measurements. FBG sensors can be embedded into fibrous preforms to monitor the flow and the cure of the resin and deliver real‐time information on the ongoing process. The paper concentrates on the utilisation of the strain‐induced birefringence of the FBG to derive information on the effective stress–strain state of the composite at the end of the process cycle (Vacher 2004, Optical fiber sensors to monitor the processing and the mechanical characterization of composites. PhD thesis). During the cooling phase, the reflection spectrum from the FBG splits into two peaks because of the birefringence of the glass fibre owing to the residual stress. The paper shows that this effect can be utilised to estimate the residual stress and strain in composites manufactured by Liquid Composite Moulding technologies. The birefringence effect arising from the cooling of a [06,903]S CFRP laminate is first characterised, and then the determination of the strains along the principal axes inside the laminate is completed by modelling the local stress–strain state because of the interaction of the optical fibre and its environment within the framework of orthotropic thermo‐elasticity and the Classical Laminated Plate Theory.