Strategies for Embedding Optical Fiber Sensors in Additive Manufacturing Structures

The use of optical fiber sensors (OFS) has spread in the Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) community for their ability to detect many different physical quantities, robustness against electromagnetic disturbances, light weight and embedding possibilities. The last point has been widely investigated for different types of materials, but only recently researchers considered the possibility to embed optical fibers in 3D printed structures. Additive Manufacturing (AM) offers new opportunities in terms of design, for the manufacturing of structures with complex geometries in a relatively low amount of time. However, new challenges must be considered, including innovative embedding solutions for different types of sensors. As a first step, this work discusses current embedding strategies for optical fiber sensors in structures produced with the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technique. A novel methodology to embed OFS is introduced and then tested through the production of specimens at three different filling densities and six different loads. The experimental results, where both distributed OFS and strain gauges were used, were also compared with the data obtained from a numerical model developed in Abaqus/CAE in which the filling pattern of the specimens was accurately reproduced. Finally, the results were critically discussed, highlighting both agreements and discrepancies with respect to the expected data.