Project description
Fibre reinforced composite structures are vulnerable to impact damage, which is not easily detectable with conventional, non-destructive testing techniques. The use of fibre optics with FBG sensor arrays provides a potential solution to this problem. These sensors when embedded within or attached to the surface of a composite structure can provide distributed internal strain information. This strain information can then be used to evaluate the location of impact on, or damage within, the composite material. The project will involve preforming experiments on existing artificially damaged composite specimens with embedded fibre optics. The experimental data will be used to evaluate the location and severity of damage within the composite. The second phase of the project will be to develop a technique to attach fibre optics to the surface of existing composite structures. Implementation of FAA developed structural integrity software to an actual aircraft case study.
Supervisors research focus
My research interests are in non-destructive testing, structural health monitoring, damage mechanics, composite technologies and solid mechanics.
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