The research of the health monitoring for aerospace three-dimensional braided composite workpieces

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) denotes a system with the ability to detect and interpret adverse "changes" in a structure in order to improve reliability and reduce life-cycle costs. This paper aimed on exploring the use of embedded fiber Bragg grating (FBG) to monitor the characterizations of three-dimensional braided composites. It introduces a method of Structural health monitoring and damage detection for three dimensional braided composites. To get complete accurate data on the material parameters of these composites, braided optical fiber sensors can be used to measure the internal strain. This information is used for subsequent stiffness predictions and failure analysis. In the system, a Si425 optical interrogator is applied. Experiments are conducted to measure the internal strain of specimens under tension, and the results are compared to theoretical calculations. The results from the tests can be expected to aid in enhancement of knowledge of process and development of structural health monitoring diagnostics system.