Applications Of Fiber Optic Sensors Research Articles

Application of Optical Fiber Sensor for Building and Civil Infrastructure

Application of Optical Fiber Sensor for Building and Civil Infrastructure

Application of Optical Fiber Sensor in Power Transmission Facility

Application of Optical Fiber Sensor in Power Transmission Facility

Applications of Optical Fiber Sensors for Structural Health Monitoring of Aircraft Structures

Applications of Optical Fiber Sensors for Structural Health Monitoring of Aircraft Structures

Review on optical fiber sensors with sensitive thin films

The combination of fiber optics with nano-structure technologies and sensitive thin films offers great potential for the realization of novel sensor concepts. Miniatured optical fiber sensors with thin films as sensitive elements could open new fields for optical fiber sensor applications. Thin films work as sensitive elements and transducer to get response and feedback from environments, in which optical fibers are employed to work as signal carrier. This article presents some research work conducted at the National Engineering Laboratory for Optical Fiber Sensing Technologies in recent years. Concrete examples are: Pd/WO3 co-sputtered coating as sensing material for optical hydrogen sensors shows robust mechanical stability and meanwhile good sensing performance; TbDyFe magnetostrictive coating directly deposited on fiber Bragg grating (FBG) demonstrates its possibility of miniature optical magnetic field/current sensors, and 40-pm shift of the FBG wavelength happens at a magnetic field order of 50 mT.

Investigation on micro/nanofiber Bragg grating for refractive index sensing

We propose a refractometric sensor based on micro/nanofiber Bragg grating (MNFBG). The refractive index (RI) sensing performance dependence on the fiber radius and Bragg grating period of the sensor, as well as the temperature cross-sensitive effect, is investigated theoretically. The simulation results demonstrate that 400 nm-radius MNFBG has a linear response to RI ranging from 1.3 to 1.39 with a sensitivity as high as 992.7 nm/RIU and half temperature cross-sensitivity of normal FBG. A maximum sensitivity of up to 1200 nm/RIU and an outstanding RI resolution of 8.3 × 10 -6 can be achieved. MNFBG has high potential in various types of optical fiber sensor applications.

Fibre optic sensors: a review of today's applications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the applications of commercially available fibre optic sensors (FOSs) and consider the reasons for their use.Design/methodology/approach – Following a short introduction, the paper discusses the applications of FOSs for physical variables, gases and chemical compounds and identifies the reasons for their use.Findings – It is shown that, following over three decades of research, FOSs are employed in many physical sensing uses where particular, application‐specific features confer significant user benefits. They are employed to a far lesser extent to monitor gases and chemical compounds, where the intrinsic features of the technology are of less benefit.Originality/value – This paper provides an account of the applications of FOSs that have emerged since their development in the 1970s.

Application of fiber optic sensors for elevated temperature testing of polymer matrix composite materials

AbstractAdvanced polymer matrix composite (PMC) materials have been more frequently employed for aerospace applications due to their light weight and high strength. Fiber-reinforced PMC materials are also being considered as potential candidates for elevated temperature applications such as supersonic vehicle airframes and propulsion system components. A new generation of high glass-transition temperature polymers has enabled this development to materialize. Clearly, there is a requirement to better understand the mechanical behaviour of this class of composite materials. In this study, polyimide-coated fiber optic sensors are employed to continuously monitor strain in a woven carbon fiber bismaleimide (BMI) matrix laminate subjected to tensile static and fatigue loading at elevated temperatures. A unique experimental test protocol is utilized to investigate the capability of the optical sensors to monitor strain and track stiffness degradation of the composite material. An advanced interrogation system and an optical spectrum analyzer are utilized to track the variation in the optical fiber wavelength and the wavelength spectrum for correlation with strain gage measurements. Isothermal tensile static and fatigue tests at room temperature, 105°C, 160°C and 205°C suggest that these optical sensors are capable of continuously monitoring strain and tracking the stiffness loss of a highly compliant PMC specimen during cyclic loading. The results illustrate that employing optical sensors for elevated temperature applications has significant advantages when compared to conventional strain gages.

Fiber-optic sensor applications in civil and geotechnical engineering

Different types of fiber-optic sensors based on glass or polymeric fibers are used to evaluate material behavior or to monitor the integrity and long-term stability of load-bearing structure components. Fiber-optic sensors have been established as a new and innovative measurement technology in very different fields, such as material science, civil engineering, light-weight structures, geotechnical areas as well as chemical and high-voltage substations. Very often, mechanical quantities such as deformation, strain or vibration are requested. However, measurement of chemical quantities in materials and structure components, such as pH value in steel reinforced concrete members also provides information about the integrity of concrete structures. A special fiber-optic chemical sensor for monitoring the alkaline state (pH value) of the cementitious matrix in steel-reinforced concrete structures with the purpose of early detection of corrosion-initiating factors is described. The paper presents the use of several fiber-optic sensor technologies in engineering. One example concerns the use of highly resolving concrete-embeddable fiber Fabry-Perot acoustic emission (AE) sensors for the assessment of the bearing behaviour of large concrete piles in existing foundations or during and after its installation. Another example concerns fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors attached to anchor steels (micro piles) to measure the strain distribution in loaded soil anchors. Polymer optical fibers (POF) can be — because of their high elasticity and high ultimate strain — well integrated into textiles to monitor their deformation behaviour. Such “intelligent” textiles are capable of monitoring displacement of soil or slopes, critical mechanical deformation in geotechnical structures (dikes, dams, and embankments) as well as in masonry structures during and after earthquakes.

Fiber Optic Sensors in Structural Health Monitoring

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) can be understood as the integration of sensing and intelligence to enable the structure loading and damage-provoking conditions to be recorded, analyzed, localized, and predicted in such a way that nondestructive testing becomes an integral part of them. In addition, SHM systems can include actuation devices to take proper reaction or correction actions. SHM sensing requirements are very well suited for the application of optical fiber sensors (OFS), in particular, to provide integrated, quasi-distributed or fully distributed technologies. In this tutorial, after a brief introduction of the basic SHM concepts, the main fiber optic techniques available for this application are reviewed, emphasizing the four most successful ones. Then, several examples of the use of OFS in real structures are also addressed, including those from the renewable energy, transportation, civil engineering and the oil and gas industry sectors. Finally, the most relevant current technical challenges and the key sector markets are identified. This paper provides a tutorial introduction, a comprehensive background on this subject and also a forecast of the future of OFS for SHM. In addition, some of the challenges to be faced in the near future are addressed.

Analysis of transmission mode of a matched fiber Bragg grating interrogation scheme

A detailed investigation has been undertaken into the transmission mode of the matched fiber Bragg grating interrogation scheme with respect to its use in optical fiber sensor applications. Analytical and numerical models of the scheme have been developed. Experimental studies presented include the effect of the spectral characteristics of the gratings on system performance, results of strain and compression calibrations, a scheme to correct for intensity fluctuations, and the correction of temperature-induced shifts by collocating sensor and reference gratings. The results are in good agreement with a simplified model of the transmission mode. The analysis provides quantitative relationships between key sensor design parameters, such as sensitivity and measurement range as a function of grating bandwidth.

Wavelength-division-multiplexing fiber coupler based on bending-insensitive holey optical fiber

A wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) coupler has been made with a bending-insensitive holey optical fiber (HOF) by using the fused biconical tapered (FBT) method. The transmission band of the proposed HOF WDM coupler could be easily tuned by adjusting the pulling length during the FBT process. Interestingly, it was observed that the air-hole structure of the HOF should be maintained to have the property of a WDM coupler. As the air holes collapse, the HOF WDM exhibits high-pass-filter-like properties. The cross-sectional scanning electron microscope images of the implemented HOF WDM coupler are presented along with the light intensity distribution measured at the coupling region of the coupler. The proposed HOF couplers may also find applications in optical coarse WDM systems and optical fiber sensors.

Modeling the analytical response of optical fiber sensors for aromatic compounds determination

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the application of optical fiber sensors for in situ monitoring of chemical pollutants, including volatile organic compounds, regarding air quality assurance. In order to enhance the usefulness and applicability of this methodology to environmental analysis, a proper study of the analytical signal and an adequate calibration model are required. This contribution is focused on the model for optical fiber sensors calibration, discussing some problems associated with the estimates of the figures of merit of these analytical systems. We also suggest and discuss a calibration model based on a cumulative symmetric double sigmoidal (SDS) function, as a suitable and general alternative to the more limited and classical linear calibration model.

Trends in Bragg Grating Technology for Optical Fiber Sensor Applications

Fiber Bragg gratings have found widespread and successful applications in optical sensor systems, e. g. for temperature, strain or refractive index measurements. Such sensor elements are fiber integrated, are applicable under harsh environmental conditions, and can be easily multiplexed. In order to further extend the field of applications, there is a great interest in specifically adapted Bragg gratings, in Bragg grating structures with increased stability, or in the use of special fiber types for grating inscription. The paper discusses such specific concepts for grating inscription, covers novel aspects of fiber gratings in small diameter fibers or in fiber tapers, of gratings in pure silica fibers without UV sensitivity, of grating inscription in different microstructured fibers or photonic crystal fibers, and investigates the concept of femtosecond inscription and the extension of the Bragg reflection wavelengths down to the visible range.

Femtosecond laser fabricated fiber Bragg grating in microfiber for refractive index sensing

Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is fabricated in the microfiber by the use of femtosecond laser pulse irradiation. Such a grating can be directly exposed to the surrounding medium without etching or thinning treatment of the fiber, thus possessing high refractive index (RI) sensitivity while maintaining superior reliability. The grating in the microfiber may have a number of propagation modes in its transmission spectrum, depending on the fiber diameter, and the higher order of mode has larger RI sensitivity. The RI sensitivity also depends on the fiber diameter and a smaller diameter corresponds to a large sensitivity. The maximum sensitivity obtained is approximately 231.4 nm per refractive index unit at the refractive index value of approximately 1.44 when the fiber diameter is approximately 2 microm. The FBG fabricated in the microfiber has high potential in various types of optical fiber sensor applications.

A new method for sampled fiber Bragg grating fabrication by use of both femtosecond laser and CO_2 laser

A new method for sample fiber Bragg grating fabrication by use of both femtosecond laser and CO(2) laser has been proposed and demonstrated. Such a method exhibits the advantages of high fabrication flexibility, and good thermal stability. The sampling period and duty cycle can be easily varied by changing the CO(2) laser beam scanning pattern during operation. The gratings produced have potential applications in optical communications, fiber lasers, and optical fiber sensors.

Smart Sensing Technologies for Structural Health Monitoring of Civil Engineering Structures

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) aims to develop automated systems for the continuous monitoring, inspection, and damage detection of structures with minimum labour involvement. The first step to set up a SHM system is to incorporate a level of structural sensing capability that is reliable and possesses long term stability. Smart sensing technologies including the applications of fibre optic sensors, piezoelectric sensors, magnetostrictive sensors and self-diagnosing fibre reinforced composites, possess very important capabilities of monitoring various physical or chemical parameters related to the health and therefore, durable service life of structures. In particular, piezoelectric sensors and magnetorestrictive sensors can serve as both sensors and actuators, which make SHM to be an active monitoring system. Thus, smart sensing technologies are now currently available, and can be utilized to the SHM of civil engineering structures. In this paper, the application of smart materials/sensors for the SHM of civil engineering structures is critically reviewed. The major focus is on the evaluations of laboratory and field studies of smart materials/sensors in civil engineering structures.

Recent development and applications of polymer optical fiber sensors for strain measurement

This paper presents the characteristics and advantages of polymer optical fiber (POF) sensors compared with common silica optical fiber (SOF) sensors. The development and application of POF sensors for strain measurement are introduced in detail. Because of the recent developments in POF technology, the future of POF sensors is considered optimistic.

Miniaturized Optical Fiber Sensor Interrogation System Employing Echelle Diffractive Gratings Demultiplexer for Potential Aerospace Applications

To enable the application of optical fiber sensors to aerospace vehicles, the sensor interrogation or data acquisition system has to meet small size and low weight requirements. This paper presents the developmental work of an echelle diffractive gratings (EDGs) demultiplexer-based optical fiber sensor interrogation system. The operation principle of this system and its application to fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor interrogation are presented. The experimental results have shown that the developed interrogator (not including the electronic controller) weighs less than 60 g and provides better than 1 pm measurement resolution and better than plusmn10 pm measurement accuracy.

Editorial Optical Fiber Sensor Technology and Applications

The forty-seven articles in this special issue focus on optical fiber sensor technology and applications.

Applications of fiber optic sensors in civil engineering

Recent development of fiber optic sensor technology has provided an excellent choice for civil engineers for performance monitoring of civil infrastructures. Fiber optic sensors have the advantages of small dimensions, good resolution and accuracy, as well as excellent ability to transmit signal at long distances. They are also immune to electromagnetic and radio frequency interference and may incorporate a series of interrogated sensors multiplexed along a single fiber. These advantages make fiber optic sensors a better method than traditional damage detection methods and devices to some extent. This paper provides a review of recent developments in fiber optic sensor technology as well as some applications of fiber optic sensors to the performance monitoring of civil infrastructures such as buildings, bridges, pavements, dams, pipelines, tunnels, piles, etc. Existing problems of fiber optic sensors with their applications to civil structural performance monitoring are also discussed.