Fiber Optic Microdeformation Sensors for Smart Structures

When optical fibers are stressed, the deformations at the core-cladding interface induce signal attenuation. Because of their durable physical properties (high melting point) optical fibers can be embedded into certain composite materials at the manufacturing stage. Stresses on the composite induces stresses on the embedded fiber. The amount of stress on the fiber, and thus the stress on the composite, can be determined by measuring the attenuation of a signal passing through the fiber. Force was applied to a single mode and a multimode fiber in a microbend inducing plate, and the attenuation this stress created was measured