Abstract
A fiber-optic Michelson interferometer is used for remote sensing of the bending-induced surface strain (up to 2500 μ∊) of plates made from carbon-fiber composites. The double-polarization method is used for eliminating the ambiguity of fringe counting. Simultaneous measurement of the birefringence-dependent phase offset yields an additional analog (polarimetric) signal, which allows for initialization of the incremental readout. The measured dependence of surface strain on plate bending agrees with the theoretically expected linear relationship, and it agrees with the gauge sensitivity published by Valis et al. [ Proc. Soc. Photo-Opt. Instrum. Eng. 1170, 495 ( 1989)]. The observed hysteresis and temperature sensitivity are significantly smaller than the same effects in an electrical strain gauge.
© 1992 Optical Society of America
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