Fiber Optic Cure Sensor for Thermoset Composites

We present recent experimental verification of a new in-situ fiber optic sensor [1] for detecting the curing of thermoset composites. This device is sensitive to the difference between the refractive index of the curing polymer matrix within the composite and that of a fully-cured reference fiber made of the same thermoset material. The method is indifferent to temperature variations imposed during the cure process