Fiber optic gap gauge

Patent · Tue Nov 14 00:00:00 EST 2006

OSTI ID:908045

Wood, Billy E ^[1]; Groves, Scott E ^[2]; Larsen, Greg J ^[2]; Sanchez, Roberto J ^[3]

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1. Livermore, CA
2. Brentwood, CA
3. Pleasanton, CA

A lightweight, small size, high sensitivity gauge for indirectly measuring displacement or absolute gap width by measuring axial strain in an orthogonal direction to the displacement/gap width. The gap gauge includes a preferably titanium base having a central tension bar with springs connecting opposite ends of the tension bar to a pair of end connector bars, and an elongated bow spring connected to the end connector bars with a middle section bowed away from the base to define a gap. The bow spring is capable of producing an axial strain in the base proportional to a displacement of the middle section in a direction orthogonal to the base. And a strain sensor, such as a Fabry-Perot interferometer strain sensor, is connected to measure the axial strain in the base, so that the displacement of the middle section may be indirectly determined from the measurement of the axial strain in the base.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Univ. of California (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• Assignee: The Regents of the University of California (Oakland, CA)
• Patent Number(s): 7,134,219
• Application Number: 11/132,976
• OSTI ID: 908045
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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