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Optical fibre sensors are an essential subset of optical fibre technology, designed specifically for sensing and measuring several physical parameters. These sensors offer unique advantages over traditional sensors, making them gradually more valuable in a wide range of applications. They can detect extremely small variations in the physical parameters they are designed to measure, such as analytes in the case of biosensing. This high sensitivity allows them to detect subtle variations in temperature, pressure, strain, the refractive index of analytes, vibration, and other environmental factors with exceptional accuracy. Moreover, these sensors enable remote sensing capabilities. Since light signals are used to carry information, the sensing elements can be placed at distant or inaccessible sites and still communicate the data back to the central monitoring system without signal degradation. In recent times, different attractive configurations and approaches have been proposed to enhance the sensitivity of the optical fibre-based sensor and are briefly explained in this review. However, we believe that the choice of optical fibre sensor configuration should be designated based on the specific application. As these sensors continue to evolve and improve, they will play an increasingly vital role in critical monitoring and control applications across various industries.

Plant fibres, perceived as environmentally sustainable substitutes to E-glass, are increasingly being employed as reinforcements in polymer matrix composites. However, despite the promising technical properties of cellulose-based fibres and the historic use of plant fibre reinforced plastics (PFRPs) in load-bearing components, the industrial uptake of PFRPs in structural applications has been limited. Through an up-to-date critical review of the literature, this manuscript presents an overview on key aspects that need consideration when developing PFRPs for structural applications, including the selection of (I) the fibre type, fibre extraction process and fibre surface modification technique, (II) fibre volume fraction, (III) reinforcement geometry and interfacial properties, (IV) reinforcement packing arrangement and orientation and (V) matrix type and composite manufacturing technique. A comprehensive materials selection chart (Ashby plot) is also produced to facilitate the design of a PFRP component, based on the (absolute and specific) tensile properties.

Composites have been found to be the most promising and discerning material available in this century. Presently, composites reinforced with fibers of synthetic or natural materials are gaining more importance as demands for lightweight materials with high strength for specific applications are growing in the market. Fiber-reinforced polymer composite offers not only high strength to weight ratio, but also reveals exceptional properties such as high durability; stiffness; damping property; flexural strength; and resistance to corrosion, wear, impact, and fire. These wide ranges of diverse features have led composite materials to find applications in mechanical, construction, aerospace, automobile, biomedical, marine, and many other manufacturing industries. Performance of composite materials predominantly depends on their constituent elements and manufacturing techniques, therefore, functional properties of various fibers available worldwide, their classifications, and the manufacturing techniques used to fabricate the composite materials need to be studied in order to figure out the optimized characteristic of the material for the desired application. An overview of a diverse range of fibers, their properties, functionality, classification, and various fiber composite manufacturing techniques is presented to discover the optimized fiber-reinforced composite material for significant applications. Their exceptional performance in the numerous fields of applications have made fiber-reinforced composite materials a promising alternative over solitary metals or alloys.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing continuous carbon fiber-reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) composites offer excellent tensile mechanical properties. The present study aimed to research the effect of process parameters on the tensile mechanical properties of 3D printing composite specimens through a series of mechanical experiments. The main printing parameters, including layer height, extrusion width, printing temperature, and printing speed are changed to manufacture specimens based on the modified fused filament fabrication 3D printer, and the tensile mechanical properties of 3D printing continuous carbon fiber-reinforced PLA composites are presented. By comparing the outcomes of experiments, the results show that relative fiber content has a significant impact on mechanical properties and the ratio of carbon fibers in composites is influenced by layer height and extrusion width. The tensile mechanical properties of continuous carbon fiber-reinforced composites gradually decrease with an increase of layer height and extrusion width. In addition, printing temperature and speed also affect the fiber matrix interface, i.e., tensile mechanical properties increase as the printing temperature rises, while the tensile mechanical properties decrease when the printing speed increases. Furthermore, the strengthening mechanism on the tensile mechanical properties is that external loads subjected to the components can be transferred to the carbon fibers through the fiber-matrix interface. Additionally, SEM images suggest that the main weakness of continuous carbon fiber-reinforced 3D printing composites exists in the fiber-matrix interface, and the main failure is the pull-out of the fiber caused by the interface destruction.

The use of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials has had a dramatic impact on civil engineering techniques over the past three decades. FRPs are an ideal material for structural applications where high strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight ratios are required. Developments in fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites for civil engineering outlines the latest developments in fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites and their applications in civil engineering.Part one outlines the general developments of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) use, reviewing recent advancements in the design and processing techniques of composite materials. Part two outlines particular types of fiber-reinforced polymers and covers their use in a wide range of civil engineering and structural applications, including their use in disaster-resistant buildings, strengthening steel structures and bridge superstructures.With its distinguished editor and international team of contributors, Developments in fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites for civil engineering is an essential text for researchers and engineers in the field of civil engineering and industries such as bridge and building construction. Outlines the latest developments in fiber-reinforced polymer composites and their applications in civil engineeringReviews recent advancements in the design and processing techniques of composite materialsCovers the use of particular types of fiber-reinforced polymers in a wide range of civil engineering and structural applications

This work represents a study to investigate the mechanical properties of longitudinal basalt/woven-glass-fiber-reinforced unsaturated polyester-resin hybrid composites. The hybridization of basalt and glass fiber enhanced the mechanical properties of hybrid composites. The unsaturated polyester resin (UP), basalt (B) and glass fibers (GF) were fabricated using the hand lay-up method in six formulations (UP, GF, B7.5/G22.5, B15/G15, B22.5/G7.5 and B) to produce the composites, respectively. This study showed that the addition of basalt to glass-fiber-reinforced unsaturated polyester resin increased its density, tensile and flexural properties. The tensile strength of the B22.5/G7.5 hybrid composites increased by 213.92 MPa compared to neat UP, which was 8.14 MPa. Scanning electron microscopy analysis was used to observe the fracture mode and fiber pullout of the hybrid composites.

Fibres have been used in construction materials for a very long time. Through previous research and investigations, the use of natural and synthetic fibres have shown promising results, as their presence has demonstrated significant benefits in terms of the overall physical and mechanical properties of the composite material. When comparing fibre reinforcement to traditional reinforcement, the ratio of fibre required is significantly less, making fibre reinforcement both energy and economically efficient. More recently, waste fibres have been studied for their potential as reinforcement in construction materials. The build-up of waste materials all around the world is a known issue, as landfill space is limited, and the incineration process requires considerable energy and produces unwanted emissions. The utilisation of waste fibres in construction materials can alleviate these issues and promote environmentally friendly and sustainable solutions that work in the industry. This study reviews the types, properties, and applications of different fibres used in a wide range of materials in the construction industry, including concrete, asphalt concrete, soil, earth materials, blocks and bricks, composites, and other applications.

Since the 3rd edition appeared, a fast evolution of the field has occurred. The fourth edition of this classic work provides an up-to-date account of the nonlinear phenomena occurring inside optical fibers. The contents include such important topics as self- and cross-phase modulation, stimulated Raman and Brillouin scattering, four-wave mixing, modulation instability, and optical solitons. Many new figures have been added to help illustrate the concepts discussed in the book.New to this edition are chapters on highly nonlinear fibers and and the novel nonlinear effects that have been observed in these fibers since 2000. Such a chapter should be of interest to people in the field of new wavelengths generation, which has potential application in medical diagnosis and treatments, spectroscopy, new wavelength lasers and light sources, etc.

This book describes the latest development in optical fiber devices, and their applications to sensor technology. Optical fiber sensors, an important application of the optical fiber, have experienced fast development, and attracted wide attentions in basic science as well as in practical applications. Sensing is often likened to human sense organs. Optical fiber can not only transport information acquired by sensors at high speed and large volume, but also can play the roles of sensing element itself. Compared with electric and other types of sensors, fiber sensor technology has unique merits. It has advantages over conventional bulky optic sensors, such as combination of sensing and signal transportation, smaller size, and possibility of building distributed systems. Fiber sensor technology has been used in various areas of industry, transportation, communication, security and defense, as well as daily life. Its importance has been growing with the advancement of the technology and the expansion of the scope of its application, a growth this book fully describes.

Fiber reinforced composites offer exceptional directional mechanical properties, and combining their advantages with the capability of 3D printing has resulted in many innovative research fronts. This review aims to summarize the methods and findings of research conducted on 3D-printed carbon fiber reinforced composites. The review is focused on commercially available printers and filaments, as their results are reproducible and the findings can be applied to functional parts. As the process parameters can be readily changed in preparation of a 3D-printed part, it has been the focus of many studies. In addition to typical composite driving factors such as fiber orientation, fiber volume fraction and stacking sequence, printing parameters such as infill density, infill pattern, nozzle speed, layer thickness, built orientation, nozzle and bed temperatures have shown to influence mechanical properties. Due to the unique advantages of 3D printing, in addition to conventional unidirectional fiber orientation, concentric fiber rings have been used to optimize the mechanical performance of a part. This review surveys the literature in 3D printing of chopped and continuous carbon fiber composites to provide a reference for the state-of-the-art efforts, existing limitations and new research frontiers.