Internal Strain Measurement in 3D Braided Composites Using Co-braided Optical Fiber Sensors

3D braided composite technology has stimulated a great deal of interest in the world at large. But due to the threedimensional nature of these kinds of composites, coupled with the shortcomings of currently-adopted experimental test methods, it is difficult to measure the internal parameters of this materials, hence causes it difficult to understand the material performance. A new method is introduced herein to measure the internal strain of braided composite materials using co-braided fiber optic sensors. Two kinds of fiber optic sensors are co-braided into 3D braided composites to measure internal strain. One of these is the Fabry-Parrot (F-P) fiber optic sensor; the other is the polarimetric fiber optic sensor. Experiments are conducted to measure internal strain under tension, bending and thermal environments in the 3D carbon fiber braided composite specimens, both locally and globally. Experimental results show that multiple fiber optic sensors can be braided into the 3D braided composites to measure the internal parameters, providing a more accurate measurement method and leading to a better understanding of these materials.