Laser processing of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite for optical fiber guidelines

The replacement of copper wires by optical fibers for control and monitoring of aircraft systems are gaining more and more acceptance due to weight reductions and their intrinsic reliability. The present investigation proposes a new method for producing fiber optical guidelines in carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites using laser texturing and machining. Laser texturing was used to improve the adhesion bonding between the CFRP parts and laser machining is used to create a channel where the optical fiber will be placed and protected. The results show that using only 20 W of a Nd:YAG pulsed laser it is possible to enhance the joint resistance of CFRP composites and also protecting the optical fiber embedded in between two CFRP pieces. Using the proposed technology, the maximum load of a lap joint increased by 85% and the optical fiber remained integral even under severe bending conditions. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B. V. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of the German Scientific Laser Society (WLT e.V.)