Investigation of Two Polarimetric Optical Strain Sensors

Abstract

This thesis presents a theoretical description and experimental testing of two polarimetric fiber-optic strain sensors. 'The first .of these is an intrinsic sensor in which a single mode optical fiber acts as the sensing element. This sensor exhibited low strain sensitivity and high cross-sensitivity to temperature. The second sensor was of the extrinsic type, A single polarization maintaining fiber was used to deliver and collect light from the sensing element, which a was piece of photoelastic sheet PS-1. This type of sensor exhibited large dynamic range of 1:1350, resolution of 0.59ps, and strain sensitivity of the normalized signal of0.00219pe+1.