Medical University of South Carolina

Bin Lin

Victor Giurgiutiu

Michael Van Tooren

Paul Ziehl

Lingyu Yu

Mohammad Faisal Haider

An in-situ fiber-optic temperature field measurement is disclosed that can allow process monitoring and diagnosis for thermoplastic composite welding and other applications. A distributed fiber-optic sensor can be permanently embedded in a thermoplastic welded structure when it is welded and left there to perform lifelong monitoring and inspection. The fiber optic sensor can include a dissolvable coating, or a coating matched to the composite material to be welded. Other applications include in-situ fiber-optic temperature field measurement on thermoset composite curing (autoclave), for thermoplastic and thermoset composites during compression molding, and for fiber-optic field measurements on freeze/thaw of large items of public health interest, such as stored or transported foodstuffs.

In-situ fiber-optic temperature field measurement during thermoplastic composite welding and other applications

Disclosed are composite structure health monitoring (SHM) systems that incorporate aspects of both a passive SHM system and an active SHM system. Systems provide a route for continuous monitoring to recognize potentially damaging events as well as to determine the location and intensity of damage in those instances in which the event does cause damage to the structure. Systems can provide improved monitoring with a low space and weight requirement, for instance when utilized for SHM of aircraft.

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Irmo, SC, United States of America

Bin Lin