In-situ simultaneous measurement of strain and temperature in automated fiber placement (AFP) using optical fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors

Abstract

There has been a tremendous growth of utilizing automated fiber placement (AFP) to manufacture highly precise components and large structures like fuselage panels and wing skins for high-end applications in aircrafts and next generation of spacecrafts. Consequently, in-situ identification of potential defects and strain level within the laminates is critical to ensure the quality and integrity of the final product. In this study, optical fiber Bragg grating sensors (FBGs) have been implemented as an on-line monitoring technique for simultaneous measurement of strain and temperature in AFP. In addition, it is also shown that, the embedded FBG sensors can remain within the laminate for continuous health monitoring after manufacturing process toward the identification of crack induced acoustic emissions.