The internal strain of three-dimensional braided composites with co-braided FBG sensors

The performance analysis of three-dimensional (3-D) braided composites is made difficult by their complex and interlacing structure, and is still under development. To get complete first-hand data on the material parameters of these composites, co-braided optical fiber sensors (OFS) can be used to measure the internal strain. This information is helpful for subsequent stiffness predictions and failure analysis. This paper introduces a method of incorporating OFS into braided composites, and establishes a constitutive theoretical model for the hybrid material. Experiments are conducted to measure the internal strain of specimens under tension, and the results are compared to theoretical predictions.