Simulations on the effect of embedded FBG sensors on composite components' mechanical properties

Fibre Bragg Gratings sensors are robust, insensitive to EM interference, easily multiplexed and carry low noise. Embedding this kind of sensors inside carbon fibre, allowing for accurate and easy SHM, would help to reduce costs and improve safety on the aerospace sector. Unfortunately the optical fibre (OF), from which the sensors are made, are far bigger than the average carbon fibre, behaving like a defect. There are ways to reduce this negative behaviour, one of them being embedding the OF inside a layer of carbon fibre with parallel orientation. No research has been done on how this effect span along the thickness of the specimen. In this thesis I ran simulations on Abaqus to find out how an optical fibre embedded inside a parallel carbon fibre layer interacts with perpendicular layers along the specimen thickness. To do so, different specimen with different lamination sequences and OF positioning were simulated, to have a wide array of situation to analyse. Results data have then been analysed to search for useful relations between the various variables affecting them.