A study on fiber Bragg grating (FBG) strain sensor based on symmetrical lever structure

Abstract

Thin-walled structure deformation detection technology is one of the key technologies for structural health monitoring and fault diagnosis of high-end mechanical equipment. Aiming at the problem that the existing Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) strain sensor is difficult to effectively measure the deformation of thin-walled structures, an FBG strain sensor based on a symmetrical lever structure is proposed. The sensitivity of the sensor is analyzed theoretically, and the sensor is simulated and analyzed by the SOLIDWORKS and Abaqus software, and then, the structural parameters are optimized. According to the simulation results, the sensor is developed and a strain testing system is set up to test the performance of the sensor. The results indicate that the sensor sensitivity is ∼6.6 pm/με, which is about 5.5 times that of bare FBG. Its strain measurement sensitivity and stability are much higher than those of bare FBG, thus meeting the strain detection requirements of thin-walled structural parts during deformation. Moreover, the linearity is more than 99%, which enables the accurate measurement of tiny strains caused by the deformation and reconstruction of the thin-walled structure by the strain sensor. The results of this study provide a reference for the development of like sensors and a further improvement in the sensitivity of the optic-fiber strain sensor.