Self-sensing composite: Reinforcing fiberglass bundle for damage detection

We showed that the fiber bundle of the reinforcing E-glass fabric of the polymer composite structure can be used for damage monitoring without any special surface preparation. For the matrix of the composite, a carefully selected general-purpose resin system can be applied. We demonstrate a simple way to illuminate an arbitrarily chosen fiber bundle of the fabric, and the micro- and macroscopic damage caused by the load of the composite decrease the power of light transmitted by the bundle. With the microscopic examination of the ends of the illuminated fibers, fiber breakage and fiber-matrix debonding can be identified and distinguished as well. This way, a selected part of the reinforcement of the composite can be used as a structural health monitoring sensor making any further external sensors unnecessary.