Use of optical fiber sensors in autoclave molding of GFRP laminates

摘要

A real-time measurement of internal and residual strains in GFRP laminates with an optical fiber strain sensor is performed in an autoclave molding. An Extrinsic Fabry-Perot Interferometric (EFPI) type optical fiber strain sensor is embedded into prepreg sheets before the molding. The ion viscosity and the temperature of the epoxy resin matrix are also simultaneously measured with the internal strain measurement. The results of the experiments shows that the internal and the residual strain of GFRP laminates during the molding can be monitored by the optical fiber sensor. It is also found that the circumstances around the embedded optical fiber strain sensor should be taken into account for the interpretation of the measured internal and residual strain.