Inner strain determination of three-dimensional braided preforms with co-braided optical fiber sensors

The experimental characterization of three-dimensional (3-D) braided composites is extremely important for their design and analysis. Because of their desirable attributes and outstanding performance, optical fiber sensors (OFSs) can be embedded to monitor mechanical properties of textile composites. This paper discusses two techniques to incorporate different OFSs into 3-D braided composite preforms. The operating principle of various sensor systems is first conducted. Experiments using Michelson interferometers, FBG sensors, and micro-bend sensors are performed to verify the concept of the proposed method. Strain curves of various OFSs tests are finally compared, and they all exhibit good linearity. © 2008 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH.