Polymeric structure with embedded fiber Bragg grating sensor manufactured using multi-jet printing method

Abstract Multi-jet printing (MJP) is one of additive manufacturing (AM) techniques. It offers high accuracy of elements and the possibility of manufacturing products with complex shapes. The aim of this study was to determine the possibility of embedding fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors into an MJP polymeric structure. The sensors were selected based on their advantages: small size, low weight, lack of calibration requirements, high chemical resistance. The effect of the manufacturing process on the FBG sensors was analyzed during the process. The quality of the manufactured samples was evaluated using terahertz spectroscopy method. The sample quality was also validated during experiments performed in an environmental chamber. It allowed determining the relationships between strain and temperature (10–50°C) as well as between strain and relative humidity. The obtained results were compared with the numerical ones. It was concluded that the MJP is appropriate for constructing elements with embedded FBG sensors.