Large-scale low-cost optical fiber strain sensor arrays

Steve Chen; Ponniah Sivansen; Martin B. Christiansen; Kartik Vaithyanathan; M. K. Park

doi:10.1117/12.385568

9 May 2000 Large-scale low-cost optical fiber strain sensor arrays

Steve Chen, Ponniah Sivansen, Martin B. Christiansen, Kartik Vaithyanathan, M. K. Park

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 4077, International Conference on Sensors and Control Techniques (ICSC 2000); (2000) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.385568
Event: International Conference on Sensors and Control Techniques (ICSC2000), 2000, Wuhan, China

Abstract

Electric strain gauges have been the sensor of choice in structure monitoring applications. Recently, with the invention of fiber optic Bragg gratings and the rapid advance of telecommunication industry, optical strain sensors based on fiber Bragg grating is increasingly challenging the dominating position of the electric gauges. In this paper, we first discuss the performance and cost issues of typical electric strain sensing systems. This is followed by a description of the operating principles of fiber optic Bragg grating based strain sensors and a low- cost digital wavelength domain multiplexing technology for the interrogation of Bragg grating based sensor arrays. By comparing the performances and costs of electric and fiber Bragg grating based strain sensing technology at system level, we conclude that fiber optic strain sensing system is not only superior in performance but also provide lower cost per sensor for applications that requires more than 20 sensing points. Finally, a number of structure monitoring applications currently under investigation in Smart Material and Structures Research Laboratory at University of Maryland are presented.

Citation Download Citation

Steve Chen, Ponniah Sivansen, Martin B. Christiansen, Kartik Vaithyanathan, and M. K. Park "Large-scale low-cost optical fiber strain sensor arrays", Proc. SPIE 4077, International Conference on Sensors and Control Techniques (ICSC 2000), (9 May 2000); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.385568

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