title: Crack detection and monitoring in viscoelastic solids using polymer optical fiber sensors.
abstract: Detecting and monitoring of crack in viscoelastic solids, as a result of large and time-dependent deformations, are of great importance but have not been carried out sufficiently well. In this paper, polymer optical fibers (POFs) are employed to detect and monitor cracks in viscoelastic solids subjected to tensile loading. The sensor system is developed based on the variation of light intensity within the POFs when the POF sensors are loaded. The sensors show good stability, cost-effective, and large enough strain range (60%). The results demonstrate that in addition to monitoring the strain state of viscoelastic solids, the POFs strain sensors can detect initial cracks and monitor cracks propagation up to ultimate failure.
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430036, China.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Microelectronics Science, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China.
authors.forename: Zhihong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430036, China.
authors.forename: Xiaochun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Microelectronics Science, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China.
authors.forename: Yanming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: College of Electromechanics, Qingdao Huanghai University, Qingdao 266427, China.
authors.forename: Haiyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Microelectronics Science, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China.
authors.forename: Zhong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xie