Integrated measurement technique for curing process-dependent mechanical properties of polymeric materials using fiber bragg grating

We propose an integrated technique to measure critical mechanical properties of polymeric materials. The method is based on a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor. A polymer of interest is cured around a glass FBG and the Bragg wavelength (BW) shift is measured and documented while polymerization progresses at the curing temperature. After complete polymerization, the BW shift is monitored continuously as the temperature of the cured polymer changes. The desired material properties are then found inversely from the relationship between the Bragg wavelength shift and the deformation of the polymer caused by the changes in the material properties.