Low-velocity impact events occurring over the span of a few milliseconds cause changes in composite structures through relaxation and delamination propagation which manifest themselves over the span of several seconds. Changes in embedded fiber Bragg grating sensor response allow the damage in the composite structure to be measured in lieu of simply analyzing the impact event itself. By observing the damage progression and subsequent failure of the sample, the sensor signal response can thus be used to predict the lifetime of the structure. In this paper, we expand previous sensor interrogation and damage identification methodologies by using scanning instrumentation capable of operating over multiple time scales. 2D woven composite specimens are subjected to multiple low velocity impacts while the fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor response is monitored in time scales of one millisecond to tens of seconds. A high frequency scanning spectrometer is used to determine the peak Bragg wavelength while scanning the FBG sensor at approximately 1 kHz during and immediately after the impact. Also, a high fidelity slow-scan laser source measures the quasi-static sensor response several seconds to minutes following the impact events. Features of the two measurement sets are used to identify the structural integrity of the laminate specimen after each impact event.

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