Analysis of Fiber Bragg Grating Spectral Features for In-Situ Assessment of Sandwich Composites

In this paper we summarize recent advances derived from full-spectral interrogation of FBG sensors for structural health monitoring and damage identification in composites. Previous work has correlated signals from FBG reflected spectra to stress concentrations near crack tips, curing conditions during processing of composite laminates and the progression of delamination due to multiple low-velocity impacts in woven composite laminates. In this paper we investigate the information gained from FBG sensors embedded at the facesheet-core interface in foam-core sandwich composites subjected to low-velocity impact loading. We also discuss recent advances in interrogation systems for these sensors which will permit dynamic evaluation of these parameters. These results demonstrate the richness of information that can be obtained from full-spectral interrogation of FBG sensors in a complex, multiple stress component environment.