Fiber bragg gratings sensor strain–optic behavior with different polymeric coatings subjected to transverse strain

Abstract

This research work is based on a previous study by the authors that characterized the behavior of FBG sensors with a polyimide coating in a structural monitoring system. Sensors applied to structural health monitoring are affected by the presence of simultaneous multidirectional strains. The previous study observed the influence of the transverse strain (ey) while keeping the longitudinal strain constant (ex), where the x direction is the direction of the optical fiber. The present study develops an experimental methodology consisting of a biaxial test plan on cruciform specimens with three embedded FBG sensors coated with polyimide, acrylate, and ORMOCER®. Applying the Strain–Optic Theory as a reference, a comparison of the experimental values obtained with the different coatings was studied. This experimental work made it possible to study the influence of the transverse strain (ey) on the longitudinal measurements of each FBGS and the influence of the coating material. Finally, the calibration procedure was defined as well as K (strain sensitivity factor) for each sensor.