Experimental Analysis of Composite Laminates Subjected to Bending

Composite materials are becoming increasingly important in many engineering domains. Often the estimation of their mechanical properties is not trivial and simulations need to be accompanied by experimental verification. In this paper, the use of optical methods to characterize the mechanical behaviour of composite laminated plates subjected to bending is described. Speckle Interferometry and fibre optic sensors are used in a combined manner to reach a full understanding of the specimen behaviour. In- and out-of-plane Speckle Interferometry is employed to measure full-field displacements on the free surfaces of the plates, while the strain distribution through the thickness is derived using embedded fibre Bragg grating sensors. Measurements are carried out in the "thin" and "thick" plate ranges and results are compared to analytical and numerical calculations