skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Performance comparison of fiber optic tips in interferrometric displacement measurement

Conference ·
OSTI ID:1038889
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [4]
  1. Los Alamos National Laboratory
  2. UNM
  3. UCSD
  4. ROSE HULMAN INSTITUTE OT TECH.

Fiber optic displacement sensors have many potential advantages over traditional displacement measurement techniques, including small size, immunity to electromagnetic interference, electrical isolation, and high resolution. In this report, we focus on an interferometric fiber optic sensor, where the gap between the fiber tip and the device under test forms a Fabry-Perot resonant cavity. An optical interrogator measures the reflected intensity at wavelengths ranging from 1510 to 1590 nm. The spacing between resonant frequencies allows us to determine the distance from the tip to the device under test. We consider ferrule connector angled physical contact (FC/APC), ferrule connector ultra physical contact (FC/UPC) and unpolished cleaved tips and compare their influence on sensor performance. A plane wave propagation model is proposed for predicting tip effects. Comparisons are made on the basis of sensor measurement range, resolution, and sensitivity to changes in test conditions. In this paper, we discuss the experimental setup, detail our analysis, and present test results with recommendations for the applications of each tip.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC52-06NA25396
OSTI ID:
1038889
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-10-07162; LA-UR-10-7162; TRN: US201209%%41
Resource Relation:
Conference: IMAC XXIX: Conference & Exposition on Structural Dynamics ; January 31, 2011 ; Jacksonville, Fl
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English