Independent measurement of strain and sensor failure features in Bragg grating sensors through multiple mode coupling

This article presents the interrelated measurements of Bragg reflection, cladding and radiation modes to obtain the applied strain and integrity of a short period Bragg grating sensor. While the Bragg reflection is known to be sensitive to applied strain, the relative strength of the cladding and radiation mode coupling is shown to be sensitive to damage such as debonding from the host structure. Furthermore, the length of the Bragg grating debonded from the surrounding medium is quantitatively related to the coupling to continuum radiation modes from the core mode. While the sensitivity of the radiation mode coupling to microcracking in the optical fiber is shown to be relatively low, maximum intensity measurements provide sufficient information on local fractures of the optical fiber. These results provide intelligent self-diagnostic capabilities within the Bragg grating sensor without additional measurements, and also permit the separate identification of sensor failure from the failure of the host structure.