Engineering the development of optical fiber sensors for adverse environments

Optical fiber sensors and measurement systems must be engineered to meet tough environmental requirements necessary for applications outside the laboratory. No generalized computer-aided tools exist to help advance the development, design and use of these systems in the field. Computer-aided design tools currently being developed are described. Structural finite element analyses are coupled with opto-elastic analyses of all-fiber interferometers and serial microbend sensors for the distributed measurement of various physical quantities. The combined analyses are parameterized and implemented on personal computers or workstations for use as design and development tools to determine the performance of different sensor configurations in various environments. Potentially, these computer-aided tools could be used for failure diagnosis and redesigning of existing optical fiber sensors. Performances predicted by the computer simulations are verified with experimental data and numerical analyses from the literature. The long-term goal is to develop user-friendly software packages for sensor manufacturers and end-users. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.