Research on fabrication technique and sensing properties of smart FRP-FBG composite laminates

By combining the strength of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) with the sensing characteristics of fiber Bragg grating (FBG), the new smart FRP-FBG composite laminates were developed. Firstly, the basic principle of the strain sensing and temperature sensing for FBG sensors was introduced in this paper. Secondly, the fabrication technique of the smart FRP-FBG composite laminates was presented. Finally, the strain and temperature sensing properties of the proposed smart composite laminates were experimentally studied on standard material test system and under hot water, respectively. The experimental results indicate the strain sensing properties of the smart FRP-FBG composite laminates are nearly the same as that of bare FBG, however, the temperature sensing abilities of the smart composite laminates are improved and the sensitivity coefficient is nearly 3.2 times as much as that of bare FBG. The sensing precisions of strain and temperature for the smart FRP-FBG composite laminates are 1με and 0.03°C, respectively. The smart FRP-FBG composite laminates are very proper for applications in civil engineering.