Long-period gratings for monitoring the resin transfer molding of fiber-reinforced polymer composites

The spectral characteristics of long-period gratings (LPGs) have been researched over the last two decades, and many sensing applications of LPGs have been proposed due to their spectral sensitivity to many surrounding environmental parameters such as the temperature, pressure, and refractive index. However, this sensitivity to many parameters can also be a curse due to cross-sensitivity and the inability to distinguish which environmental parameter is responsible for the LPG’s spectral behavior. For the application proposed here—monitoring the progress of a resin flow front, its velocity, and the permeability of the reinforcement mats during the infusion stage of resin transfer molding—the multi-sensitivity of LPGs is a distinct advantage, as it provides the ability to monitor the mold environment at various stages of manufacturing.