High-sensitivity, high-spatial-resolution
distributed strain sensing based on a poly(methyl
methacrylate) chirped fiber Bragg grating
CHENGANG LYU,
1
ZIQI LIU,
1
ZIQIANG HUO,
1
CHUNFENG GE,
2
XIN CHENG,
3,
* AND HAW-YAW TAM
3
1
School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
2
School of Precision Instruments and Opto-electronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
3
Photonics Research Center, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
*Corresponding author: eechengx@polyu.edu.hk
Received 24 February 2020; revised 1 May 2020; accepted 12 May 2020; posted 13 May 2020 (Doc. ID 391160); published 5 June 2020
In this study, a high-sensitivity, high-spatial-resolution distributed strain-sensing approach based on a
poly(methyl methacrylate) chirped fiber Bragg grating (CFBG) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated.
Linearly chirped FBGs in a polymer optical fiber provide an alternative to the silica fiber owing to the lower
Young’s modulus, which can yield a higher stress sensitivity under the same external force. According to the
spatial wavelength-encoded characteristic of the CFBG, a fully distributed strain measurement can be achieved
by optical frequency-domain reflectometry. Through time-/space-resolved short-time Fourier transform, the ap-
plied force can be located by the beat frequency originated from the space-induced time delay and measured by
the differential frequency offset originated from the strain-induced dispersion time delay. In a proof-of-concept
experiment, a high spatial resolution of 1 mm over a gauge length of 40 mm and a strain resolution of 0.491 Hz/με
were achi eved.
© 2020 Chinese Laser Press
https://doi.org/10.1364/PRJ.391160
1. INTRODUCTION
Optical-fiber-grating-based sensors are emerging as promising
devices owing to their high stabilities, high reliabilities, and
advanced multiplexing capabilities [ 1]. In recent years, the
application of chirped fiber Bragg grating (CFBG) with a non-
uniform modulation of the refractive index within the core of
an optical fiber has attracted considerable attention [2].
For high-spatial-resolution strain-sensi ng applications, such
as tactile perception and aircraft structural detection [3,4],
CFBG behaving as a cascade of FBGs of different Bragg wave-
lengths is a promising candidate for fully distributed sensors
owing to its large grating length, spatial dispersion character-
istic, and large reflection bandwidth. The strain information
is encoded into the wavelength-dependent reflection spectral
range. To interrogate the reflection spectrum, an optical spec-
trum analyzer [5 ], Fabry–Perot filter [6], microwave photonic
filter [7], and time-stretch frequency-domain reflectom etry [8]
have been used. However, the performances of these interrog-
ation techniques are limited by either the lack of spatial reso-
lution or high-speed data acquisition requirement. With the
reasonable measurement time and considerably higher spatial
resolution, optical frequency-domain reflectometry (OFDR)
is a powerful method for the measurement of a small reflection
signal in small-scale optical components [9]. The distributed
strain information along the grating section of the CFBG
can be reconstructed theoretically from the recorded temporal
interference wav eform and interrogated by means of OFDR in
a Michelson interferometer. Therefore, it is possible to detect
spatially resolved variations in strain with a resolution on the
order of millimeters over the grating length.
In addition to the high spatial resolution, high sensitivity is
another important factor for the distributed strain-sensing tech-
nology. In most cases, strain is due to the applied external force,
so the strain sensing is actually a measurement of external force.
According to Hooke’s law, polymer materials have higher sen-
sitivity to converting external force into internal strain of the
optical fiber, compared with silica material. Therefore, the
mechanical properties provide increased sensitivities to intrinsic
polymer fiber sensors when they are used for lateral force, stress,
and torque sensing. Recently, polymer materials such as
CYTOP, TOPAS, and PMMA have been researched for poly-
mer optical fiber (POF) fabrication and application. Liu et al.
[10] reported an axial tensile experiment using PMMA FBGs
with a maximum strain of 3.61%. Leal et al. [11] measured
the torque of an elastic actuator’s spring based on CYTOP FBG
arrays in the strain range of thousands. Woyessa et al. reported
a single-mode POF using ZEONEX/TOPA S for high-
temperature sensing [12]. Leal et al. reported a diaphragm-
embedded sensor applied on the pressure, force, and liquid level
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Vol. 8, No. 7 / July 2020 / Photonics Research
Research Article
2327-9125/20/071134-06 Journal © 2020 Chinese Laser Press