Paper number 518

EFFECT OF EMBEDDED OPTICAL FIBERS ON THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF COMPOSITES

Arne Skontorp

Structures Department, The Aeronautical Research Institute of Sweden (FFA),
Box 11021, SE-16111 Bromma, Sweden

Summary

An frequently expressed concern about composites with embedded optical fibers is the potential for an embedded optical fiber to act as a crack initiator, leading to untimely failure of the structure. An added concern is optical fibers close to regions of inherent stress concentrations, arising from to macroscopic or ply-level geometric features. The present study is concerned with determining if the introduction of embedded optical fibers into regions of stress concentrations is critical by further reducing the static structural integrity. Two cases, i.e. composites with ply-drops and bolted joints, were investigated with embedded optical fibers in critical locations. It was found that embedded optical fibers did not significantly affect the integrity of the composites with ply-drops or bolted joints. The inherent stress concentrations associated with such features completely dominate any disturbance caused by single optical fibers.

Keywords

smart structures, embedded sensors, optical fibers, structural integrity, failure mechanisms, aerospace applications.