Fiber pressure sensors based on periodical mode coupling effects

Haim Lotem; Wen C. Wang; Michael Wang; David Schaafsma; Bob Skolnick; Haim Grebel

doi:10.1117/12.598818

16 May 2005 Fiber pressure sensors based on periodical mode coupling effects

Haim Lotem, Wen C. Wang, Michael Wang, David Schaafsma, Bob Skolnick, Haim Grebel

Proceedings Volume 5758, Smart Structures and Materials 2005: Smart Sensor Technology and Measurement Systems; (2005) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.598818
Event: SPIE Smart Structures and Materials + Nondestructive Evaluation and Health Monitoring, 2005, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Fiber optic sensor technology offers the possibility of implementing low weight, high performance and cost effective health and damage assessment for infrastructure elements. Common fiber sensors are based on the effect of external action on the spectral response of a Fabry-Perot or a Bragg grating section, or on the modal dynamics in multimode (MM) fiber. In the latter case, the fiber itself acts as the sensor, giving it the potential for large range coverage. We were interested in this type of sensor because of its cost advantage in monitoring structural health. In the course of the research, a new type of a rugged modal filter device, based on off-center splicing, was developed. This device, in combination with a MM fiber, was found to be a potential single point-pressure sensing device. Additionally, by translating the pressing point along a MM sensing fiber with a constant load and speed, a sinusoidal intensity modulation was observed. This harmonic behavior, during load translation, is explained by the theory of mode coupling and dispersion. The oscillation period, L~0.43. mm, obtained at 980 nm in a Corning SMF-28 fiber, corresponds to the wavevector difference, Db, between the two-coupled modes, by L = 2p/Db. An additional outcome of the present research is the observation that the response of the loaded MM fiber is strongly dependent on the polarization state of the light traveling along the MM fiber due to different response of the modes to polarization active elements. Our main conclusions are that in MM fiber optic sensor design, special cautions need to be taken in order to stabilize the system, and that the sensitivity along a MM fiber sensor is periodic with a period of ~ 0.4 - 0.5 mm, depending on various fiber parameters and excited modes.

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Haim Lotem, Wen C. Wang, Michael Wang, David Schaafsma, Bob Skolnick, and Haim Grebel "Fiber pressure sensors based on periodical mode coupling effects", Proc. SPIE 5758, Smart Structures and Materials 2005: Smart Sensor Technology and Measurement Systems, (16 May 2005); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.598818

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KEYWORDS

Sensors

Multimode fibers

Fiber optics sensors

Polarization

Single mode fibers

Modulation

Optical components

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