Analysis of the applicability of optical fibers as sensors for the structural health monitoring of polymer composites: the relationship between attenuation and the deformation of the fiber

The goal of our research is to prove that the single-mode optical glass fiber used in telecommunications and the optical loss test set used for the characterization of telecommunication networks is suitable for the structural health monitoring of polymer composites. We built optical fibers into specimens and analyzed the relationship between attenuation of the fiber and the deformation of the specimen. Based on our results, we worked out the basics of a cost-effective measurement method. In the case of general-purpose polymer composite products, where the knowledge of structural health is important but not critical but the more complex embedded sensor systems would be too expensive, the method can show the strain state of the structure unambiguously (within categories). The method can be used in practice and evaluated easily and can show whether a thorough structural examination is necessary.