Abstract
Structural health monitoring of fiber-reinforced composite-based joints for automotive applications during their manufacturing and on-demand assessment for its durability in working environments is critically needed. High-definition fiber-optic sensing is an effective method to measure internal strain/stress development using minimally invasive continuous sensors. The sensing fiber diameters are in the same order of magnitude when compared to reinforcement (glass, basalt, or carbon fibers) used in polymer composites. They also offer a unique ability to monitor the evolution of residual stresses after repeated thermal exposure with varying temperatures for automotive components/joints during painting using an electrophoretic painting process. In this paper, a high-definition fiber-optic sensor utilizing Rayleigh scattering is embedded within an adhesive joint between a carbon fiber-reinforced thermoset composite panel and an aluminum panel to measure spatially resolved strain development, residual strain, and thermal expansion properties during the electrophoretic paint process-simulated conditions. The strain measured by the continuous fiber-optic sensor was compared with an alternate technique using thermal digital image correlation. The fiber-optic sensor was able to identify the spatial variation of residual strains for a discontinuous carbon fiber-reinforced composite with varying local fiber orientations and resin content.
Highlights
Carbon fiber–reinforced composites (CFRCs) are attractive to the automotive industry due to the growing need for lightweight applications to improve performance and fuel efficiency and reduce carbon emissions
This paper introduces for the first time the use of high-definition fiber-optic sensing for addressing this important need in automotive and infrastructure application space
Results and Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Sheet-Molded Composite (CFSMC)/Al smart joint subjected to various thermal cycles, the authors proposed the following
Summary
Carbon fiber–reinforced composites (CFRCs) are attractive to the automotive industry due to the growing need for lightweight applications to improve performance and fuel efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. Chopped fiber CFRC sheet-molded composites (SMCs) offer several advantages in producing near-net shaped complex automotive parts using compression molding techniques. Resulting material properties can be tuned for high strength, low weight, resistance to corrosion, and the potential for high-volume production as an alternative to aluminum (Al)- and magnesium (Mg)-based alloys; the cost of raw materials remains a persistent barrier to market entry for practical large-scale production and complex parts such as lift-gates or deck-lids require multiple-part stamping and assembly [1,2,3,4]. SMC-based materials with their improved mechanical properties and processing characteristics for flow during molding, show a lot of promise. The mechanical integrity and thermal stability of manufactured SMC parts are largely dependent on critical parameters, including fiber orientation, voids, fiber volume fraction, and thermal response.
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