Optical fiber sensors offer unprecedented features, the most unique of which is the ability of monitoring varia- tions of the observed physical field with spatial continuity along the fiber. These distributed optical fiber sensors are based on the scattering processes that originate from the interaction between light and matter. Among the three different scatter- ing processes that may take place in a fiber—namely Rayleigh, Raman and Brillouin scattering, this paper focuses on Rayleigh-based distributed optical fiber sensors. For a given optical frequency, Rayleigh-based sensors exploit the three main properties of light: intensity, phase and polarization. All these sensing mechanisms are reviewed, along with basic principles, main acquisition techniques and fields of application. Emphasis, however, will be put on polarization-based distributed optical fiber sensors. While they currently represent a niche, they offer promising unique features worth being considered in greater detail.

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Distributed Optical Fiber Sensing Based on Rayleigh Scattering

Condition monitoring of heavy electromechanical equipment is commonly accomplished in the industry using vibration analysis. Several techniques, mainly based on capacitive and piezoelectric accelerometers, have been applied for predictive maintenance. However, the negative influence of the electromagnetic interference (EMI) can be a real problem when electrical signals are used to detect and transmit physical parameters in noisy environments such as electric power generator plants with high levels of EMI. Optical fiber sensors are increasingly used because of the nonelectrical nature of signals. In this paper, the most frequently used vibration optical fiber sensors will be reviewed, classifying them by the sensing techniques and measurement principles. The main techniques, intensity modulation, fiber bragg gratings and Fabry-Perot Interferometry, will be reviewed here.

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Vibration Detection Using Optical Fiber Sensors

A review of recent developed and applications of plastic fiber optic displacement sensors

Intensity-modulated optical fiber displacement sensors have a potential to be used in a number of applications, including those in industry, military, aerospace, and medicine. Compared with other types of optical fiber sensors, intensity-modulated sensors offer distinctive advantages in that they are usually less complex, inexpensive, and less sensitive to thermal-induced strain. They are able to perform accurate contactless sensing while being of a small size and having a wide dynamic range. A common form of the intensity-modulated optical fiber sensor performs its measurement by making use of a pair of straight parallel optical fibers integrated with a moving reflector modulating the reflected optical signal intensity. Although such an optical modulation configuration exhibits good sensing ability, improvement on its performance could still be made to widen the extent of its application areas. This leads to the development of more effective intensity modulation mechanisms utilizing bent-tip optical fibers and a reflector that can either laterally slide or longitudinally move with reference to the central axis of the fibers. This paper describes such alternative sensing structures and demonstrates the derivations of mathematical models proposed for analyzing their sensing characteristics. Based on experimental studies, the models are verified and validated for the analysis of sensitivity and linearity.

Mathematical Modeling of Intensity-Modulated Bent-Tip Optical Fiber Displacement Sensors

The aim of this work is to examine the influence of confinement effects on the chemical and dielectric properties of nanostructured polymethylmetacrylate (PMMA) in comparison to the bulk. In general, authors have focused their research on isotactic PMMA and only a few have studied PMMA with other tacticity so, in consequence, we have chosen a PMMA with main content of syndiotactic form. One-dimensional polymer nanostructures of PMMA have been prepared by infiltration into AAO templates with different dimensions of pores: 28, 35, and 65 nm. Laboratory-made, electrochemically fabricated porous materials have been used as confining systems with very well-defined geometry. Scanning electron microscopy micrographs present the regularity of the obtained nanofibers and show the appropriate, homogeneous filling of the nanocavities. As methods of physical and chemical characterization we have chosen broadband dielectric and Raman spectroscopy. By dielectric spectroscopy experiments we observe that the relaxation b...

One Dimensional PMMA Nanofibers from AAO Templates. Evidence of Confinement Effects by Dielectric and Raman Analysis

This paper reports the principle of operation, design aspects, experimentation and performance of an extrinsic fibre optic displacement sensor for the measurement of amplitude and frequency of vibration. The device consists of fibre optic transmitter, fibre optic probe, mini-shaker, power amplifier, dynamic signal analyser and photodiode detector. The fibre optic probe consists of two well-polished PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) fibres cemented together along some distance over the length. The sensor is capable of measuring vibration amplitudes ranging from 0.008 to 0.74 mm within a frequency range of 75 to 275 Hz. The sensitivity of the device is found to be 0.893 V/mm over 0.6 to 2.1 mm range and - 0.226 V / mm over 2.9 to 5.9 mm range. The simplicity of the design, high degree of sensitivity, dynamic range and the low cost of the fabrication make it suitable for real field applications. With the emerging fly-by-light concept, the fibre optic probe solves many sensing problems in aircrafts. Moreover, accuracy and reliability are the excellent pay-offs of this fibre optic sensor.

Fibre optic displacement sensor for the measurement of amplitude and frequency of vibration

This article reports the principle of operation, design aspects, experimentation, and performance of a noncontact fiber optic liquid level sensor. The sensor is based on the phenomenon of reflective concept. The device consists of fiber optic transmitter, fiber optic probe, floating reflector, photodiode detector, and digital multimeter. The fiber optic probe consists of two 60-cm-long PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) fibers of diameter 1 mm, numerical aperture 0.5, core refractive index 1.492, and cladding refractive index 1.402. The fiber optic sensor is a promising alternative to other well-established methods for the measurement of liquid level due to its simplicity of design, high precision, long-term stability, linearity, high degree of sensitivity, dynamic range, noncontact sensing, and low cost of the fabrication make it suitable for applications in precise level control in analytical and process chemistry, biochemistry, bioanalytics, and on-line measurement or inspection of liquid level. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 2114–2118, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.25415

PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) fiber optic probe as a noncontact liquid level sensor

This paper reports the principle of operation, the design aspects, experimentation and performance of a fibre optic target reflectivity sensor to examine the correlation between the detector output, variation in material type and the reflectivity properties of the materials tested. The device consists of a fibre optic transmitter, a fibre optic probe, target and a photodiode detector. The fibre optic probe consists of two well-polished PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) fibres cemented together along some distance over the length. The principle of fibre optic lever displacement sensors is applied. Material effects are examined by preparing a variety of samples namely gold coated mirror, copper, brass, aluminium, steel and galvanized iron using the same polishing techniques. It is found that the response of the sensor changes with change of target surface. The results show that the fibre optic probe is capable of discriminating between materials. With the use of commercially available fibre, source and detector, the set-up proves to be simple, highly sensitive, low cost and versatile one, which can be adopted for on-line measurement or inspection of test components.

Fibre optic target reflectivity sensor

The ability to understand and monitor the distributed behaviour of extended, critical structures is recognized as a matter of increasing importance. Optical fibres offer unique advantages for spatially distributed measurement. An especially important feature is the one dimensional nature of the medium, since this offers unique advantages for spatially distributed measurement. This article describes the principle of operation, the design and performance of a novel single mode fiber based multipoint microbend pressure sensor architecture, which may be utilized in distributed measurement. The actual sensor element is a single mode fiber coupled to the measurand field through the usual microbend inducing structures. The sensor uses optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) to detect pressure induced charges of backscatter power at many separate locations in the fiber as a function of length along a single fiber with no taps or branches. The sensitivity of this structure to microbend induced losses has been thoroughly characterized. This feature greatly increases the information from a single instrument and hence decreases the cost-benefit ratio.

N. Chandrasekaran

Papers

Fibre optic displacement sensor for the measurement of amplitude and frequency of vibration

PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) fiber optic probe as a noncontact liquid level sensor

Fibre optic target reflectivity sensor

OTDR Based Fiber Optic Microbend Sensor for Distributed Sensing Applications in Structural Pressure Monitoring