Understanding elastic interactions that occur between an embedded optical fiber and its host matrix is important for implementation of optical strain sensors into aerospace structures. A previously developed analytical model predicted the effects of fiber coating thickness and elastic modulus on the strain transfer from an isotropic matrix to an embedded coated fiber optic. To verify this, a series of tungsten coatings were magnetron sputtered onto bare intrinsic Fabry-Perot sensors that were embedded into a neat epoxy resin block. The block was then compression loaded in the transverse direction to the fiber, and the optical strain response was measured. Comparisons between the responses of both coated and uncoated sensors indicated that the experimental measurements of strain transfer in embedded fiber-optic devices yielded good agreement with the analytical model.

Date Published: 12 July 1993
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 1918, Smart Structures and Materials 1993: Smart Sensing, Processing, and Instrumentation, (12 July 1993); doi: 10.1117/12.147979

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 1918:
Smart Structures and Materials 1993: Smart Sensing, Processing, and Instrumentation
Richard O. Claus, Editor(s)