Small diameter fiber Bragg gratings and applications

Small diameter optical fibers are preferred in sensing systems as they have less influence on mechanical performance of smart composite. The static and dynamic monitoring capabilities of the small-diameter fiber Bragg gratings (FBG) are experimentally studied in this paper. Firstly, a small-diameter FBG is used as a strain sensor. Secondly, a temperature sensor is fabricated using a specific FBG. Thirdly, a simple sensing system is proposed in order to discriminate temperature at sensing point. Finally, utilization of these small diameter FBGs for vibration monitoring is discussed. The experiments revealed that the central wavelengths of the small-diameter fiber Bragg gratings shift linearly with strain or temperature. The FBG is more sensitive than a thermocouple inside the thermostat. Acquisition and analysis of the dynamic signal indicates that the designed FBG can be used for dynamic signal monitoring.