An In-reflection strain sensing head based on a Hi-Bi photonic crystal fiber

Abstract

A photonic crystal fiber-based sensing head is proposed for strain measurements. The sensor comprises a Hi-Bi PCF sensing head to measure interferometric signals in-reflection. An experimental background study of the sensing head is conducted through an optical backscatter reflectometer confirming the theoretical predictions, also included. A cost effective setup is proposed where a laser is used as illumination source, which allows accurate high precision strain measurements. Thus, a sensitivity of ~7.96 dB/mε.was achieved in a linear region of 1,200 με. © 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.