An embedded FBG sensor for dynamic strain measurement for a clamped-clamped composite structure

A comparison of strain measurement results, from an embedded fibre-optic Bragg grating (FBG) sensor and surface mounted strain gauge, at different vibration frequency ranges and using a clamped-clamped glass fibre composite beam, is presented. It is shown that the FBG sensor is able to precisely measure the peaks at the first-two natural frequency modes compared with the spectrum captured from the strain gauge. The results also demonstrate that the strains measured from the FBG sensor agreed well with the strain gauge at frequencies below 100 Hz. Beyond this value, the actual strain on the beam surface was less than 3με, and the data extracted from the strain gauge are no longer valid. For a clamped-clamped structure, the longitudinal strain of the beam correlates to its vibration amplitude and excitation frequency. Increasing the frequency results in decreasing the longitudinal strain of the beam and erroneous measurements from the strain gauge resulted. This study provides important information on the feasibility of using embedded FBG sensors as vibration monitoring devices to measure mechanical performance of composite structures.