Destructive and Non-Destructive Analyses of Thermo-Mechanical Degradation Processes of Additively Manufactured Composite Smart Structures with Fibre Optics

The project investigates thermo-mechanical degradation processes in additively manufactured polymer-based composite smart structures incorporating embedded fibre optic sensors (FOS), including fibre Bragg grating and Rayleigh scattering-based sensors.

The research focuses on understanding the interaction between embedded sensors and the surrounding material, particularly the effects of manufacturing imperfections, structural discontinuities, and sensor positioning on mechanical behaviour and the reliability of strain measurements.

Numerical modelling, particularly the finite element method (FEM), will support experimental investigations involving mechanical and thermal loading, destructive and non-destructive testing, and fibre optic sensor measurements. Computational models will be used to investigate the thermo-mechanical response of the structures and interpret the interaction between the embedded sensors and composite materials.

MATLAB will be used for scientific programming, processing of experimental signals, numerical analysis, and visualization of results. The research aims to contribute to the characterization of smart composite structures and improve understanding of their structural performance and sensor reliability.