Impacts of Embedded Fiber Optic Sensor on Mechanical Properties and Sensing Performances of Intelligent Composites

This study presents an experimental and numerical investigation on the impact of embedded fiber optic sensors on the mechanical properties, like tensile, compression, bending and compression-after-impact properties, and sensing performances of intelligent composites. The influence by different volume fractions of embedded fiber optics on the mechanical properties was revealed. Combined with finite element simulations, the effect of embedded sensors on the basic mechanical properties of composite materials was obtained. The sensing performance of the embedded fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors was validated through comparison with conventional strain gauges.