The Structural Performance of CFRP Composite Plates Assembled with Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors

Abstract

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites have been extensively used in airframes, train bodies, and engine blades for their properties of high strength, low weight, and good stability. The in-service structural performance of CFRP composites is always an important point to be investigated for its influence on structural safety. For this reason, CFRP composite plates assembled with fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors were developed, and the in-service structural characteristics of the CFRP plates were interpreted by FBG signals measured through time. A theoretical analysis supported by a numerical method has been provided. Experimental testing was conducted to check the proposed sensing technique for the dynamic response identification of the CFRP plate. The curing process of the bilayer CFRP plated inserted with FBGs in series was also explored. The results showed that the surface-attached FBGs in series could accurately characterize the dynamic response of the CFRP plate, and a good agreement between the numerical and testing results was observed. The strain and temperature distributions during the curing process of the bilayer plate indicated that the in-service structural performance of bilayer CFRP plates can be configured by the assembled FBG sensors. This study can support the structural health monitoring of projects by using CFRP composites.

Keywords

• smart CFRP plate
• FBG
• structural performance
• curing process
• strain and temperature monitoring