The role of embedded sensors in damage assessment in composite laminates

Abstract

Various densities of optical fibers are embedded into a total of eighty woven, graphite fiber-epoxy composite laminates, for which the response to low velocity impacts are evaluated. The goal of this work is to determine the role of hostsensor interaction on the lifetime of the host material system. The woven composites are subjected to multiple impacts at 14.5 J until perforation of the specimen. We obtain the energy dissipated by the laminate and the maximum contact force between the impactor laminate for each strike. From these experimental data we calculate the statistical distribution of the total energy dissipated at failure as a function of embedded optical fiber density. The total dissipated energy, a measure of the specimen lifetime, decreased with increasing embedded optical fiber density, however remained constant after a threshold density was reached. The total maximum contact force per specimen, a measure of the specimen stiffness, continued to decrease with the number of embedded optical fibers.