Embedding optical Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors in 3D printed casings.

• A Fiber Bragg Grating sensor embedded in 3D printed casing is proposed. • The casings are conceptualized based on numerical analysis. • Two printers, with different technologies, are adopted. • Two applications are analyzed numerically and experimentally. • Calibration factors are defined and discussed for the embedded sensors. This paper aims to numerical and experimentally study and propose Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors embedded in 3D printed casings. 3D printed casings offer design freedom, enabling strain measurement of structural systems with complex configuration, and, at low cost due to its easiness to manufacture. The casings were first numerically modeled using a commercial finite element software. After the casing was conceptualized to the user needs, they were printed and introduced in two different applications. Assessing the behavior of 3D printed casings in realistic applications has been explored only by few authors, which is the novelty introduced herein. In both applications, the casings' behavior was analyzed numerical and experimentally. The experimental results were compared with electrical strain gauges. As expected from the numerical analysis results, a calibration factor was determined to accurately predict strain using the embedded FBG sensors. A comprehensive discussion is presented on the topic of calibration factors defined numerical and experimentally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]