Delamination monitoring of laminated composites subjected to low-velocity impact using small-diameter FBG sensors

Small-diameter fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors were applied for the monitoring of delamination induced by low-velocity impact. The FBG sensors were embedded into carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) laminates [0(4)/90(4)/0(4)]. Using a drop-weight impact tester, an impact loading was applied to the laminates at four impact energy levels. After the impact tests, the internal damages including delaminations were observed by ultrasonic C-scan, and the reflection spectra from the embedded FBG sensors were measured. The form of the spectrum changed sensitively depending on the delamination size. Furthermore, the spectra were calculated theoretically for confirmation of the measured spectra. Since the change in the measured spectrum was consistent with that in the calculated spectrum, the relationship between the delamination size and the form of the spectrum could be clarified. From the results, the present method using small-diameter FBG sensors was found to be effective for the monitoring of the delamination. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.