FIBER OPTIC SENSORS FOR IN-SITU PROCESS MEASUREMENTS WITHIN ORGANIC MATRIX COMPOSITE MATERIALS

WE PROPOSE AN IN-SITU OPTICAL FIBER ORGANIC MATRIX CURE/TEMPERATURE MONITOR WHICH ALLOWS ACCURATE DETERMINATION OF LOCALIZED STATE OF CURE DURING TYPICAL COMPOSITE FABRICATION PROCESSES. THE SYSTEM CONSISTS OF A RESIN FIBER WAVEGUIDE ENSOR WHICH MEASURES CHANGES OF REFRACTIVE INDEX AS THE RESIN CURES, AND A NON-SILICA CORE FIBER DISTRIBUTED TEMPERATURE SENSOR WHICH COMPENSATES FOR TEMPERATURE INDUCED REFRACTIVE INDEX CHANGES. THE PROPOSED SENSOR COMBINATION ALLOWS LOCALIZED, REAL TIME MEASUREMENTS, AND PROVIDES POSSIBILITIES FOR POST PROCESS APPLICATIONS OF ITS EMBEDDED FIBERS. IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE SUGGESTED APPROACH WILL EVENTUALLY PROVIDE CAPABILITIES FOR PRECISE PROCESS CONTROL THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SOPHISTICATED FEEDBACK ALGORITHMS.