Intensity-modulated abrupt tapered Fiber Mach-Zehnder Interferometer for the simultaneous sensing of temperature and curvature

摘要

An abrupt tapered fiber In-Line Mach-Zehnder Interferometer sensor for simultaneous measurement of temperature and curvature is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The sensor head is fabricated by arcing Corning SMF-28 using a commercial arc fusion splicer. The individual parameters discrimination was achieved by manipulating the unequal sensitivities of optical power to temperature and curvature obtained at two wavelengths within the sensing spectrum. The curvature and temperature sensitivities at lambda 1 (1537 nm) and lambda 2 (1568.7 nm) were found to be 11.8264 dBm/m(-1), 12.4885 dBm/m(-1) and 0.0829 dBm/degrees C, 0.0833 dBm/degrees C, respectively. The experimental results show unperturbed readings with rms deviation of +/- 0.1801 m(-1) and +/- 0.0826 degrees C, for curvature and temperature measurements, respectively, through measurement of optical power response of the sensor. With this simultaneous sensing technique, the proposed sensor can be deployed for many field applications such as non-destructive structural health monitoring of civil infrastructure. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.