Abstract: Liquid composite moulding (LCM) processes are used to manufacture high quality and complex-shaped composite parts in the automotive, marine, aerospace and civil industries. On-line sensing plays an important role in controlling the quality of the final product in the LCM manufacturing environment. The long-period fiber grating (LPG) technology, a new real-time fiber optic sensor system, was developed to monitor the flow front progression. The sensor operation and characterization under various process conditions were discussed in detail. The experimental results showed that LPG sensors were robust and reliable to detect the arrival of resin at pre-selected locations in structures with low-medium fiber volume fraction; however were limited at different depths in structures with high fiber volume fraction.

Key words: Liquid composite moulding, Flow monitoring, Long-period grating