Silica microspheres array strain sensor

Abstract

An optical fiber sensor based on arrays of silica microspheres is proposed. The microspheres are produced separately using a fusion splicer and then also connected in series by fusion splicing. Three different sensors are presented, differing by the number of microspheres. Due to the geometry of the structures, different behaviors are obtained in strain measurements. Sensors with an odd number of microspheres are more sensitive to strain than the ones with an even number of microspheres. Additionally, the sensing heads are subjected to temperature where a sensitivity of 20.3 pm/degrees C is obtained in a range of 200 degrees C. (C) 2014 Optical Society of America