A method for manufacturing carbon fiber coated optical fiber sensors to monitor the health of metal substrates

Abstract

This invention provides a manufacturing method for carbon fiber-coated optical fiber sensors to monitor the health of a metal substrate, relating to the field of metal substrate health monitoring technology. The method includes the following steps: roughening and cleaning the surface of the metal substrate, and forming a pre-embedded groove to accommodate the optical fiber sensor; installing and fixing the optical fiber sensor in the pre-embedded groove, and reserving an optical fiber signal lead-out end; coating the metal substrate with the optical fiber sensor using modified resin-based carbon fiber prepreg; then using a vacuum-assisted pressurization and curing process to densely form the carbon fiber coating layer and tightly bond it to the metal substrate, thereby encapsulating the optical fiber sensor inside the coating layer; finely machining the formed coating structure, and connecting the optical fiber signal lead-out end to an optical fiber demodulation module to complete the calibration of the monitoring signal and the setting of the early warning threshold. In this invention, the optical fiber sensor uses optical signal transmission, is unaffected by the electromagnetic shielding of the carbon fiber, and is protected to be stable and reliable under extreme operating conditions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of metal matrix structure health monitoring technology, and more particularly to a manufacturing method for carbon fiber coated optical fiber sensing and monitoring the health of metal matrix. Background Technology

[0002] Under harsh working conditions such as high temperature, strong corrosion, and high wear, equipment such as metal shafts are prone to fatigue damage, excessive wear, base corrosion, and structural cracking, which necessitates fatigue and corrosion monitoring of the metal base.

[0003] However, traditional monitoring methods have the following shortcomings: (1) Wireless sensors are easily shielded by the electromagnetic shielding of metal and carbon fiber materials, and the signal cannot be effectively transmitted; (2) Conventional wired sensors cannot withstand high temperature and strong corrosive media, and have poor stability in long-term service; (3) Manual inspection poses safety risks. Continuous, real-time and remote monitoring cannot be achieved; (4) The design of carbon fiber coating structure and internal sensing is not integrated, making it difficult to simultaneously achieve structural reinforcement, corrosion resistance and wear resistance and health monitoring; (5) It is impossible to provide early warning of fatigue development, corrosion degree and coating layer delamination, peeling and fracture of the coated metal substrate.

[0004] To address this issue, the present invention proposes a manufacturing method that embeds an optical fiber sensor within a carbon fiber cladding layer, thereby solving the problem of safety monitoring of metal substrates under extreme working conditions. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the issues of existing wireless sensors being susceptible to electromagnetic shielding and unable to withstand high-temperature corrosive environments, a manufacturing method for carbon fiber-coated optical fiber sensing and monitoring the health of metal substrates is provided. This enables long-term online preventative monitoring and maintenance of metal substrates and coating structures under various environmental conditions, including high-temperature, highly corrosive, and high-wear environments, reducing downtime due to malfunctions, improving equipment operational safety, and minimizing the risk of human intervention.

[0006] The technical means employed in this invention are as follows:

[0007] A manufacturing method for carbon fiber-coated optical fiber sensing and monitoring the health of a metal substrate includes the following steps: Step 1: Roughen and clean the surface of the metal substrate and activate it, and process it to form a pre-embedded groove for accommodating the fiber optic sensor; Step 2: Install and fix the fiber optic sensor in the pre-embedded groove, and reserve the fiber optic signal lead-out end; Step 3: The metal substrate with the fiber optic sensor is coated and laid with modified resin-based carbon fiber prepreg; then, the carbon fiber coating is compacted and tightly bonded to the metal substrate through vacuum-assisted pressurization and curing processes, thereby encapsulating the fiber optic sensor inside the coating. Step 4: Perform fine processing on the formed cladding structure and connect the optical fiber signal lead-out end to the optical fiber demodulation module to complete the calibration of the monitoring signal and the setting of the early warning threshold.

[0008] Furthermore, in step one, the pre-embedded groove is processed on the surface of the metal substrate according to the preset monitoring points, and the monitoring points include at least the stress-critical area and / or the metal-cladding interface bonding area.

[0009] Furthermore, the metal matrix is ​​a metal structure covered by a carbon fiber cladding layer, including at least one of a metal shaft, pump shaft, pipe, equipment, pressure vessel, and pump casing.

[0010] Furthermore, the fiber optic sensor mentioned in step two is a fiber optic grating sensor or a distributed fiber optic sensor with a temperature resistance of not less than 250°C, and the fiber optic sensor is deployed in the axial, circumferential, force-critical areas and interface bonding areas.

[0011] Furthermore, the modified resin-based carbon fiber prepreg described in step three has high temperature resistance, strong corrosion resistance and high wear resistance, and its long-term stable working temperature is not lower than 200℃.

[0012] Furthermore, the vacuum-assisted pressurization process described in step three has a vacuum level not exceeding -0.095 MPa; the curing process is a low-temperature or medium-temperature curing process.

[0013] Furthermore, the fiber demodulation module in step four employs a wavelength demodulation algorithm and has multiple preset warning thresholds. These warning thresholds include at least a fatigue warning threshold, a corrosion warning threshold, a temperature warning threshold, and a peeling warning threshold for the state of the metal substrate.

[0014] Furthermore, the fiber optic demodulation module is also equipped with a remote data transmission unit, which is used to upload the demodulated monitoring data to the server and supports remote terminal access.

[0015] Furthermore, the parameters monitored by the fiber optic sensor include: The state parameters of the metal matrix are selected from at least one of temperature, strain, torque, rotational speed, displacement, vibration, fatigue state, wear state, and corrosion state; The state parameters of the carbon fiber coating are selected from at least one of the following states: delamination, peeling, fracture, and media penetration corrosion.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: The method of this invention involves roughening the surface of a metal substrate, machining pre-embedded grooves, and deploying fiber optic sensors. The substrate is then encapsulated with a high-temperature, high-corrosion, and high-wear-resistant carbon fiber prepreg and vacuum hot-pressed to solidify the fiber optic sensors within the structure. The fiber optic signal is unaffected by the electromagnetic shielding of the carbon fiber, enabling real-time monitoring of the metal substrate's temperature, strain, fatigue, wear, torque, displacement, and vibration. It also provides early warnings of delamination, peeling, breakage, and corrosion of the encapsulation layer. This invention is suitable for extreme working conditions requiring high temperature, strong corrosion, and high wear resistance. It enables remote, unmanned online monitoring, significantly reducing the risk of human intervention and improving equipment safety and reliability. It is widely applicable to various types of carbon fiber-coated metal substrate equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 This is an overall schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-section of the metal substrate coating in this invention.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the manufacturing method in this invention.

[0021] In the figure: 1. Metal substrate; 2. Fiber optic sensor; 3. Carbon fiber cladding layer; 4. Fiber optic signal output end; 5. Fiber optic demodulation module. Detailed Implementation

[0022] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in the present invention can be combined with each other. The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0023] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the present invention or its application or use. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0024] It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of exemplary embodiments according to the invention. As used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0025] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps described in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention. It should also be understood that, for ease of description, the dimensions of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn to actual scale. Techniques, methods, and devices known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and devices should be considered part of the specification. In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the following figures denote similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0026] Example 1 This invention provides a manufacturing method for carbon fiber coated optical fiber sensing and monitoring the health of a metal matrix, such as... Figure 3 As shown, it includes the following steps: Step 1: Roughen and clean the surface of the metal substrate 1 and process it to form a pre-embedded groove for accommodating the fiber optic sensor 2. The pre-embedded groove is processed on the surface of the metal substrate 1 according to the preset monitoring points. The monitoring points include at least the stress-critical area and / or the metal-cladding layer interface bonding area.

[0027] Step 2: Install and fix the fiber optic sensor 2 in the pre-embedded groove, and reserve the fiber optic signal lead-out end 4; the fiber optic sensor 2 is a fiber optic grating sensor or a distributed fiber optic sensor 2 with a temperature resistance of not less than 250℃, and the fiber optic sensor 2 is deployed in the axial, circumferential, force-critical areas and interface bonding areas.

[0028] Step 3: The metal substrate 1 with the fiber optic sensor 2 is coated and laid with modified resin-based carbon fiber prepreg; then, the carbon fiber coating layer 3 is densely formed and tightly bonded to the metal substrate 1 through vacuum-assisted pressurization and curing processes, thereby encapsulating the fiber optic sensor 2 inside the coating layer; the modified resin-based carbon fiber prepreg has high temperature resistance, strong corrosion resistance and high wear resistance, and can withstand temperatures not lower than -20℃, and can be used stably for a long time under working conditions of 200℃.

[0029] The vacuum-assisted pressurization process, with a vacuum level not exceeding -0.095 MPa, results in a structure that is free of pores and delamination, and tightly bonded to the metal substrate 1 after molding. The curing process is a low-temperature or medium-temperature curing process.

[0030] Step 4: Perform fine processing on the formed cladding structure and connect the fiber optic signal lead-out end 4 to the fiber optic demodulation module 5 to complete the calibration of the monitoring signal and the setting of the early warning threshold. The fiber optic demodulation module 5 adopts a wavelength demodulation algorithm and has multiple preset warning thresholds. The warning thresholds include at least a fatigue warning threshold, a corrosion warning threshold, a temperature warning threshold for the metal substrate 1 state, and a peeling warning threshold for the carbon fiber coating layer 3 state, so as to realize automatic judgment and remote alarm.

[0031] The metal substrate 1 is a metal structure covered by a carbon fiber cladding layer 3, including at least one of a metal shaft, pump shaft, pipe, equipment, pressure vessel, and pump casing.

[0032] The fiber optic demodulation module 5 is also equipped with a remote data transmission unit for uploading demodulated monitoring data to the server and supporting remote terminal access. The fiber optic demodulation module 5 uploads data to the server via the network, supporting remote viewing on computers and mobile phones. It is suitable for extreme working conditions where manual intervention is not advisable, such as those requiring high temperature resistance, strong acid corrosion resistance, high wear resistance, toxicity, or explosion-proof applications.

[0033] The parameters monitored by fiber optic sensor 2 include: The state parameters of the metal matrix 1 are selected from at least one of temperature, strain, torque, rotational speed, displacement, vibration, fatigue state, wear state and corrosion state; The state parameters of the carbon fiber coating layer 3 are selected from at least one of the following states: delamination, peeling, fracture, and medium penetration corrosion.

[0034] The fiber optic sensor 2 signal is unaffected by the carbon fiber electromagnetic shielding, and can stably monitor the temperature, strain, fatigue, wear, torque, speed, displacement, and vibration of the metal substrate 1, and realize online early warning of delamination, peeling, fracture, and media penetration corrosion of the carbon fiber coating layer 3.

[0035] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A manufacturing method for carbon fiber-coated optical fiber sensing and monitoring the health of a metal matrix, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Step 1: Roughen and clean the surface of the metal substrate and activate it, and process it to form a pre-embedded groove for accommodating the fiber optic sensor; Step 2: Install and fix the fiber optic sensor in the pre-embedded groove, and reserve the fiber optic signal lead-out end; Step 3: The metal substrate with the fiber optic sensor is coated and laid with modified resin-based carbon fiber prepreg; then, the carbon fiber coating is compacted and tightly bonded to the metal substrate through vacuum-assisted pressurization and curing processes, thereby encapsulating the fiber optic sensor inside the coating. Step 4: Perform fine processing on the formed cladding structure and connect the optical fiber signal lead-out end to the optical fiber demodulation module to complete the calibration of the monitoring signal and the setting of the early warning threshold.

2. The manufacturing method for carbon fiber-coated optical fiber sensing and monitoring the health of a metal substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step one, the pre-embedded groove is processed on the surface of the metal substrate according to the preset monitoring points, and the monitoring points include at least the stress-critical area and / or the metal-cladding interface bonding area.

3. The manufacturing method for carbon fiber-coated optical fiber sensing and monitoring the health of a metal substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The metal substrate is a metal structure covered by a carbon fiber cladding layer, including at least one of a metal shaft, pump shaft, pipe, equipment, pressure vessel, and pump casing.

4. The manufacturing method for carbon fiber-coated optical fiber sensing and monitoring the health of a metal substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fiber optic sensor mentioned in step two is a fiber optic grating sensor or a distributed fiber optic sensor with a temperature resistance of not less than 250°C. The fiber optic sensor is deployed in the axial direction, circumferential direction, key stress areas, and interface bonding areas.

5. The manufacturing method for carbon fiber-coated optical fiber sensing and monitoring the health of a metal substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The modified resin-based carbon fiber prepreg described in step three has high temperature resistance, strong corrosion resistance and high wear resistance, and its long-term stable working temperature is not lower than 200℃.

6. The manufacturing method for carbon fiber-coated optical fiber sensing and monitoring the health of a metal substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vacuum-assisted pressurization process described in step three has a vacuum level not exceeding -0.095 MPa; the curing process is a low-temperature or medium-temperature curing process.

7. The manufacturing method for carbon fiber-coated optical fiber sensing and monitoring the health of a metal substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fiber demodulation module described in step four uses a wavelength demodulation algorithm and has multiple preset warning thresholds. The warning thresholds include at least a fatigue warning threshold, a corrosion warning threshold, a temperature warning threshold for the metal substrate, and a peeling warning threshold for the carbon fiber cladding layer.

8. The manufacturing method for carbon fiber-coated optical fiber sensing and monitoring the health of a metal substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fiber optic demodulation module is also equipped with a remote data transmission unit, which is used to upload the demodulated monitoring data to the server and supports remote terminal access.

9. The manufacturing method for carbon fiber-coated optical fiber sensing and monitoring the health of a metal substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The parameters monitored by the fiber optic sensor include: The state parameters of the metal matrix are selected from at least one of temperature, strain, torque, rotational speed, displacement, vibration, fatigue state, wear state, and corrosion state; The state parameters of the carbon fiber coating are selected from at least one of the following states: delamination, peeling, fracture, and media penetration corrosion.

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