High-Sensitivity Pressure Sensor Based on a Fiber Bragg Grating

Hao-Jan Sheng, Ming-Yue Fu, Tzu-Chiang Chen, Chia-Min Lin*, Wen-Fung Liu*, Sheau-Shong Bor* Department of Electrical Engineering, Chung Cheng Institute of Technology, National Defense University,Taiwan, R.O.C
*

Department of Electrical Engineering, Feng-Chia University, Taiwan, R.O.C.

ABSTRACT

An all-fiber pressure sensor based on a fiber Bragg grating with the pressure sensitivity of 2.210-2 MPa-1 has been demonstrated. The physical configuration includes a FBG encapsulated in a polymer-half-filled metal cylinder with its end bonded to the central of a round plate attached to the surface of polymer, and the Youngs modulus of the polymer is four orders lower than FBG. This cylinder has two opening on opposite side of the wall at the polymer part. Under the pressure environment, the polymer can be pressurized along one radial direction only, and responds a axial force acting on the round plate, producing an axial strain on FBG. With a nice linearity, this sensor should be applied potentially for the measurement of mediums pressure, liquid level and depth underwater. Keywords: Fiber Bragg grating, fiber sensor, pressure, polymer.

1. INTRODUCTION
In recent years the sensor based on fiber Bragg grating have become one of the interest [1, 2]. For applying the measurement of pressure, the strain response is linearly proportional to the grating period multiplied by the effective refraction index of the core because of the photoelectric effect. However, for practical use, the sensitivity is a required specification for pressure sensors. Xu et al. applied the bare FBG to measure the pressure and were found the pressure sensitivity of the fractional change in the wavelength of -2.0210-6 MPa-1 [3]. For enhancing the sensitivity, many configurations of the fiber grating sensor are proposed to transfer the applied pressure into the axial strain on the FBG. In Xus subsequent experiment, the sensitivity was enhanced to -2.1210-5 MPa-1 by using a glass-bubble housing for the FBG [4]. Liu et al. enhanced the pressure sensitivity to -6.2810-5 MPa-1 by coating the FBG with a polymer [5]. Recently, Zhang et al. further enhanced pressure sensitivity by using a shielded polymer-coated FBG, as high as -3.4110-3 MPa-1 [6]. Above all mentioned pressure sensors with the characteristic of negative sensitivity are operated by the axial compress strain of a FBG. In this paper, we propose a new FBG pressure sensor, operated by axial tensile strained FBG, with increased pressure sensitivity to 2.210-2MPa-1.

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Industrial and Highway Sensors Technology, edited by Brian Culshaw, Michael A. Marcus, John P. Dakin, Samuel D. Crossley, Helmut E. Knee, Proceedings of SPIE Vol. 5272 (SPIE, Bellingham, WA, 2004) 0277-786X/04/$15 doi: 10.1117/12.514684

2. PRINCIPLE
It is known that the relation between the shift of the Bragg wavelength of FBG ( B ) and the axial strain applied to grating is [1] B = B (1 p e )

(1)

2 where Pe = n eff [P12 (P11 + P12 )] / 2 is the effective photoelastic coefficient of the fiber glass with the Poisson ratio,

P11 and P12 the photoelastic coefficients, and n eff the effective refractive index of the guide mode. For a typical silica fiber, we have =0.16, n eff =1.46, P11 =0.12, P12 =0.27, and, hence, Pe =0.22. For a FBG coated with a thick polymer and their Youngs modulus are close to each other, the axial strain along the FBG due to an applied pressure P is given by [7] = P(2 1) / E

where and E are the Poisson ratio and Youngs modulus of the polymer, respectively. In our design, a FBG is encapsulated in a polymer-half-filled metal cylinder with its end bound to the central of a round plate attached to the surface of polymer. To get the high reflectivity of Bragg wavelength, the length of FBG is longer than the diameter of sidewall holes, and this course partial FBG is placed in the small hole of other side of the cylinder, as shown in Fig.1. The Youngs modulus of the polymer is four orders lower than FBG. This cylinder has two opening on opposite side of the wall at the polymer part, the polymer can be pressurized mainly along one radial direction, and responds an axial force acting on the round plate, producing an axial strain on FBG
PA aE FBG + L FBG (A a )E polymer LP

Poissons ratio of polymer, LFBG is the length of FBG, LP is the axial length of polymer, E FBG and E Youngs modulus of the FBG and polymer respectively. Hence, with pressure P be applied, (1) becomes
AP = BkPP L FBG + (A a )E polymer LP

polymer

are the

B = B (1 Pe ) aE FBG

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where A is the area of round plate, a is the cross-section area of FBG, P is the pressure acting on the polymer,

(2)

(3)

is

(4)

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where k P = (1 Pe )
aE FBG

A L FBG + (A a )E polymer LP

is the pressure sensitivity of the sensor. In our experiments, the

cross-section area of FBG ( a ) is (0.0625)2 mm2 , Youngs modulus of FBG( E FBG ) and silicon rubber(E 71010N/m
2

polymer ) 1

and 1.8106N/m

, the ratio of LFBG and LP is 2, A pressure sensitivity of k P =2.1510

MPa

therefore expected.

3. EXPERIMENT AND DISCUSSION

The configuration of pressure sensor was shown in figure 1. First of all, two holes on the sidewall of the cylinder part of an aluminum cage were drilled opposite and the central of a round plate was adhered to the end of a FBG. The FBG above was placed into the central of aluminum cage from the open side with the round plate positioned at the top of two sidewall holes in the cylinder area. Molten polymer was then poured into the cylinder from the open side and would solidify inside with the round plate of FBG is just attached to its surface. The FBG was fixed at the opening of small hole with a pretension adhesively, and the opening of cylinder was sealed .The cylinder area had an inner diameter of 11mm, a inner length of 20mm, a wall of 2 mm, and two sidewall holes with a diameter of 11mm of each. The axial depth of small hole of the aluminum cage is 12 mm. The round plate is made of aluminum has a diameter of 10 mm and a thickness of 0.5 mm. The length of FBG is 20mm. The polymer used is silicon rubber. The experimental set-up is shown as fig.2. The

Pressure sensing hole Fiber Bragg Grating

Round plate Polymer

Fig.1. Schematic diagram of lateral pressure sensor

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used polymer was silicon rubber with a Poissons ratio of 0.4, round

plate with a area ( A ) of

(5)2 mm2, are

was

sensor was put in a pressure chamber where pressure can be controlled, and was spliced a 3-dB fiber coupler for measurements. ASE source and a optical spectrum analyzer (OSA) were used to measure the reflection spectrum. The shift of the Bragg wavelength on applied pressure is found to be 33.876nm MPa1, that is a pressure sensitivity of 2.210
2

MPa 1.This value is about 10900 times larger than that measured with a bare FBG. The optical spectra of

measured pressure from 0 MPa to 0.2 MPa are shown from fig. 3 to fig. 6. The measured Bragg wavelength is a function of the applied pressure as shown in fig. 7 where a very good linearity between the Bragg wavelength and the pressure is shown also.

OSA
Pressure Sensor
Fig.2. The experimental set-up for measuring the shift of the Bragg wavelength versus the applied pressure.

The measured pressure sensitivity 2.2102 MPa 1 is about 2.3% higher than the theoretical value 2.15102 MPa1 calculated from (4). In the ideal situation, the pressure applied to the sensor is based on single coordinate axial direction only. In practice, the sensing holes of pressure are elliptic, the applied pressure is not form one coordinate axial direction only, and this course the actual strain experienced by the silicon with FBG was higher than the ideal value.

We have demonstrated a pressure sensor using a tensioned FBG. Sensitivity enhancement has been achieved by bonding a round plate to the end of polymer-coated FBG in a metal cylinder. A pressure sensitivity of 2.210
2

has been demonstrated, which is about 10900 times higher than that measured for a bare FBG. The sensor should have wide applications in the measurement of mediums pressure, liquid level and depth underwater.

ecruoS ESA

Fiber Coupler

Pressure Meter

Pressurize valve

Pressure Chamber

4. CONCLUSION

MPa 1

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Fig.4. P=0.05MPa,

Fig.3. P=0.02 MPa,

B=1539.922nm

B=1540.313nm

Fig.6. P=0.2MPa,

Fig.5. P=0.1MPa,

B=1542.935nm

B=1546.429nm

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1547 1546

y = 1539.6 + 33.876x R= 0.99909

Wavelength (nm)

1545 1544 1543 1542 1541 1540 1539 -0.05 0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25

Pressure (MPa)
Fig.7. Measured Bragg wavelength as a function of the applied pressure

REFERENCES [1] W. W. Morey, G. Meltz, and W. H. Glenn, Fiber optic Bragg grating sensors, in Proc. SPIE, Fiber Optics and Laser Sensors VII, vol. 1169, 1989, pp. 98-107. [2] A .D. Kersey, M.A.Davis, H.J. Patrick, M. LeBlanc, K.P. Koo, C.G. Askins, M.A. Putnam, and E.J. Friebele, Fiber grating sensors J. Lightwave Technol. Vol.15, pp. 1442-1463, 1997. [3] M.G. Xu, L. Reekie, Y.T. Chow, and J.P. Dakin, Optical in-fiber grating high pressure sensor, Electron, Lett ., vol. 29, pp. 398-399, 1993. [4] M.G. Xu, H. Geiger, and J.P. Dakin, Fiber grating pressure sensor with enhanced sensitivity using a glass-bubble housing, Electron, Lett ., vol. 32, pp. 128-129, 1996. [5] Y. Liu, Z. Guo, Y. Zhang, K.S. Chiang, and X. Dong, Simultaneous pressure and temperature measurement with polymer-coated fiber Bragg grating, Electron, Lett ., vol. 36, pp. 564-566, 2000. [6] Y. Zhang, D. Feng, Z. Liu, Z. Guo, X. Dong, K.S. Chiang, and Beatrice C.B. Chu, High-sensitivity pressure sensor using a shielded polymer-coated fiber grating, Photon. Technol. Lett., vol. 13, pp. 618-619, 2001. [7] G.B. Hocker, Fiber-optical sensing of pressure and temperature, Appl. Opt., vol. 18, pp. 1445-1448, 1979.

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