Fiber-optic Fabry-Prot strain sensor based on graded-index multimode fiber

By using a graded-index multimode fiber (GI-MMF) with a relatively flat index profile and high refractive index of the fiber core, a microextrinsic fiber-optic Fabry Prot interferometric (MEFPI) strain sensor is fabricated through chemical etching and fusion splicing. Higher reflectance of the microcavity is obtained due to the less-curved inner wall in the center of the fiber core after etching and higher index contrast between the GI-MMF core and air. The maximum reflection of the sensor is enhanced 12 dB than that obtained by etching of the Er- or B-doped fibers. High fringe contrast of 22 dB is obtained. The strain and temperature responses of the MEFPI sensors are investigated in this experiment. Good linearity and high sensitivity are achieved, with wavelength-strain and wavelength-temperature sensitivities of 7.82 pm/με and 5.01 pm/°C, respectively.     

FFPI-FBG hybrid sensor to measure the thermal expansion and thermo-optical coefficient of a silica-based fiber at cryogenic temperatures

In this Letter, a sensor consisting of a fiber Bragg grating(FBG) and a fiber Fabry–Perot interferometer(FFPI)sensor is developed to measure the coefficient of thermal expansion(CTE) and the thermo-optical coefficient(TOC) of a silica-based optical fiber at cryogenic temperatures. The FFPI is fabricated by welding together two acid-etched fibers. The temperature performance of the FFPI-FBG hybrid sensor is studied in the temperature range of 30–273 K. The CTE and TOC of the optical fiber at cryogenic temperatures are derived analytically and verified by experiments.     

An optical fiber methane gas sensing film sensor based on core diameter mismatch

<正>An optical fiber evanescent wave methane gas sensor based on core diameter mismatch is reported.The sensor consists of a multimode fiber in which a short section of standard single-mode fiber,coated with the inclusion of cryptophane molecules E in a transparent polysiloxane film,is inserted.The sensing principle is analyzed by optical waveguide theory.For different sensing film thicknesses and interaction lengths,the sensor signal is investigated within the methane concentration range of 0-14.5%(v/v).It is shown that the sensor signal with the thickness of 5μm and the interaction length of 3 mm strengthens linearly with the increasing concentration of methane,with a slope of 0.0186.The best detection limit of the sensor for methane is 2.2%(v/v) with a response time of 90 s.This sensor is suitable for the detection of methane concentration below the critical value of 5%.     

Refractive index sensor based on tapered PCF in-line interferometer

A simple and compact refractive index sensor is demonstrated by tapering a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) in-line interferometer. The PCF is spliced between two single-mode fibers and tapered via hydrofluoric acid etching. Its sensitivity in liquid is more than an order of magnitude larger than the untapered one. By optimizing the etching process, we can fabricate more uniformly and thinly tapered PCF interferometers with higher sensitivity in the future.     

Measurement of the friction coefficient of a fluctuating contact line using an AFM-based dual-mode mechanical resonator

A dual-mode mechanical resonator using an atomic force microscope （AFM） as a force sensor is developed. The resonator consists of a long vertical glass fiber with one end glued onto a rectangular cantilever beam and the other end immersed through a liquid-air interface. By measuring the resonant spectrum of the modified AFM cantilever, one is able to accurately determine the longitudinal friction coefficient ξv along the fiber axis associated with the vertical oscillation of the hanging fiber and the traversal friction coefficient ξh perpendicular to the fiber axis associated with the horizontal swing of the fiber around its joint with the cantilever. The technique is tested by measurement of the friction coefficient of a fluctuating （and slipping） contact line between the glass fiber and the liquid interface. The experiment verifies the theory and demonstrates its applications. The dual-mode mechanical resonator provides a powerful tool for the study of the contact line dynamics and the rheological property of anisotropic fluids.     

EFPI-FBG hybrid sensor for simultaneous measurement of high temperature and large strain

We report an extrinsic Fabry–Perot interferometer-fiber Bragg grating(EFPI-FBG) hybrid sensor in this letter. The interferometric cavity of the proposed hybrid sensor is composed of a glass capillary tube, a section of single-mode fiber, and a section of single-mode metal fiber with one FBG. The FBG processed by high-temperature annealing is used to measure temperature, whereas the fiber EFPI is adopted for strain measurement. One of the two aligned fibers is free along the axial direction, which is different from the traditional structure that both the fibers are fixed to glass capillary tube. Experimental results show that the sensor can measure high temperature and large strain simultaneously. The measuring range of temperature and strain for the hybrid sensor is up to 500 °C and 10,000 με, respectively. Effective temperature compensation of the hybrid sensor is realized, too.     

Pressure dependence of Brillouin frequency shift in bare silica optical fibers

The effect of hydrostatic pressure (up to 28 MPa) on Brillouin frequency shift (BFS) within two types of bare, single-mode fibers is studied via Brillouin optical time domain analysis technique. Experimental results show a negative linear relation between pressure and BFS, with almost the same sensitivity in both types of fibers. The average value of experimental slopes is -0.742 MHz/MPa. This value is found to be well suited to theoretical analysis on the basis of data on bulk silica glass in previous reports. This preliminary evaluation may result in a new method for distributed pressure sensing along silica optical fiber.     

Temperature dependence of the refractive index of optical fibers

Many experimental investigations on the temperature dependence of the refractive index of optical fibers have been reported previously, however a satisfying theoretical explanation for it is still absent. In this paper, a theoretical model about the temperature dependence of the refractive index of optical fibers is presented and it is in agreement with the previous experimental results. This work is a significant reference for the research and development of temperature sensors based on optical fiber delay lines.     

Optical and mechanical properties of hollow-core fibers with cobweb cladding structure

This paper explores the possibility of realizing a hollow-core optical fiber, whose cladding is composed of cylindrical alternating layers of air and high-index material with supporting structure. The optical properties and the design criteria of the proposed fiber are evaluated by the compact two-dimensional (2D) finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. In particular, the influence of the number and width of supporting strips on the leakage loss of the fiber is investigated. Furthermore, the mechanical performances of the fiber are estimated by finite-element method, confirming that hollow-core fibers with a reasonable size and number of supporting strips are reliable.     

Optical and mechanical properties of hollow-core fibers with cobweb cladding structure

This paper explores the possibility of realizing a hollow-core optical fiber, whose cladding is composed of cylindrical alternating layers of air and high-index material with supporting structure. The optical properties and the design criteria of the proposed fiber are evaluated by the compact two-dimensional (2D) finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. In particular, the influence of the number and width of supporting strips on the leakage loss of the fiber is investigated. Furthermore, the mechanical performances of the fiber are estimated by finite-element method, confirming that hollow-core fibers with a reasonable size and number of supporting strips are reliable.     

光纤光栅弹簧管压力传感器的压力和温度特性

本文利用弹簧管对于压力的机械放大作用,将弹簧管与光纤光栅悬臂梁调谐技术相结合,研制了一种新颖的光纤光栅弹簧管压力传感器,大大提高了光纤布喇格光栅对压力测量的灵敏度,压力灵敏度系数可达-1.79×10^-4/MPa,比裸光栅提高了两个数量级,在0～12MPa的压力范围内,光纤布喇格光栅中心反射波长的改变与压力成良好的线性关系.同时由于悬臂梁热膨胀效应的影响,光纤光栅的温度灵敏度提高为裸光栅的7倍.     

光纤布喇格光栅沉降传感器

根据光纤布喇格光栅的光学传感原理,提出了一种基于悬臂梁及金属弹性膜片的光纤布喇格光栅沉降传感器结构,对其传感特性进行了实验研究.实验通过产生水的液位差来模拟地基沉降,分析结果显示,光纤布喇格光栅中心反射波长漂移对液位差呈现良好的线性关系,线性度高于0.999,灵敏度可达-2.11 pm/mm.通过改变悬臂梁厚度和有效长度,可以对传感器测量范围和灵敏度进行调整,以满足各种应用场合.综合实验结果,该传感器在桥梁、铁路地基等沉降监测方面具有重要意义.     

基于反射法的光纤位移 振动传感器优化设计

采用非相干光作为光源,以平面镜为反射面,对光纤位移 振动传感器的性能进行研究。推导出光纤输出功率与测量距离的解析表达式,并详细探讨了不同光纤半径、光纤数值孔径、发射光纤和接收光纤间距、发射光纤和接收光纤轴线夹角下输出功率比与测量距离之间的内禀关系。仿真结果表明:光纤半径越小,光纤间距越大,可以测试的距离范围越小;光纤数值孔径、光纤轴线夹角越小,可以测试的距离范围越小。通过分析不同情况下,输出功率比随测量距离变化的关系,可以在实际工程应用中根据测量需要选择设计合适的传感器。此外,还对测量误差进行了分析,得到光纤轴线夹角越小,测量距离的范围越大,误差率越小,当光纤轴线夹角为0.25时,误差率约为1%。     

铝槽封装光纤光栅传感器的增敏特性研究

提出了一种光纤布喇格光栅的铝槽封装工艺,并对铝槽封装光纤光栅传感器的应变与温度传感特性进行了实验研究和理论分析.与裸光纤光栅的测试结果比较表明,铝槽封装工艺基本不改变光纤光栅应变传感的灵敏性,但是温度灵敏度系数提高了3.5倍.经过该工艺封装的光纤光栅可以探测识别0.2 με的应变与0.02℃的温度变化.     

Application of multimode fiber optical sensor in optical tomography technology

In this paper, an attempt to use a multimode optical fiber sensor in tomography is made. Two types of lens, one sphere and one cylinderical, are designed for two terminals of the fiber. It solves the problem of insufficient power collection of natural light beam using current fiber with polished terminals. A theoretical analysis of the relationships among the sphere lens radius, the cylinderical lens radius, the refractive index of the fiber is carried out. The relationship between the scanning angles and the number of the optical fibers is experimentally investigated in the air medium.     

光纤振动传感器探头的设计

提出和论述了一种光纤振动传感器的原理和探头设计方法。使用悬臂梁来遮挡反射回光纤的光 ,用光强度调制来实现振动信号的测量。这种传感探头只需一根光纤引出 ,紧凑小巧 ,易于安装调试。结果表明 ,这种光纤振动传感器传感头是可靠而耐用的 ,长时间工作稳定 ,抗外界干扰强 ,易制作 ,易安装。     

镀镍光纤Bragg光栅温度传感特性实验研究

在光纤智能金属结构材料中,为了保护光纤Bragg光栅并使得传感器与基体金属有很好的结合性,在光纤Bragg光栅表面化学镀镍,并实验研究了化学镀镍前后的光纤Bragg光栅的温度传感特性.实验表明：镀镍后的光纤光栅的Bragg波长随温度变化呈现出良好的线性和重复性,Bragg光栅温度灵敏度变大.     

铜片封装光纤光栅传感器的应变和温度传感特性研究

提出了一种光纤光栅的铜片封装工艺，并通过实验和理论分析研究了光纤光栅的应变和温度传感特性.与裸光纤光栅的测试结果相比，铜片封装工艺基本不改变光纤光栅应变传感的灵敏度，但是温度灵敏度系数提高了2.78倍.经过铜片封装后的光纤光栅可以探测到的应变和温度分别为1 με和0.03℃，便于工程应用.     

Review of femtosecond laser fabricated optical fiber high temperature sensors [Invited]

The femtosecond laser has been an efficient tool for optical fiber high temperature sensor construction. Here, we review the progress of optical fiber high temperature sensors based on femtosecond laser fabricated fiber gratings and various types of fiber in-line interferometers in silica fibers and sapphire fibers.     

Polymer Optical Fiber Photosensitivities and Highly Tunable Fiber Gratings

In this paper, recent progress in the investigation of photosensitivities of polymer optical fibers and the development of polymer optical fiber grating is reported. Photosensitivities in various polymer fibers, including doped and undoped, multimode and single-mode polymer fibers, have been experimentally characterized and evaluated for fiber grating application. In particular, the wavelength dependence of material absorption and photosensitivity has been found essential to the fabrication of polymer optical fiber grating. Based on the results of photosensitivity research, polymer optical fiber gratings have been successfully fabricated. More importantly, polymer optical fiber grating has been demonstrated highly tunable, with a tuning range more than 70 nm. The unique feature of high tunability in polymer optical fiber grating has great potential in various applications including optical fiber WDM systems and fiber sensor systems. Several important issues that remain to be investigated will also be discussed.