Abstract

A reusable memory capable polymer optical fiber (POF) strain sensor is reported. The fiber consists of an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) core and polymethylmethacrylate cladding. The memory capability is derived from stress whitening due to crazing of the ABS core, which can be reversed by heating the fiber close to the ABS glass transition temperature. The probe was characterized under transverse compressive load, macrobending, and tensile loading. Testing shows that the optical properties of the fiber can be reversed to near pristine ABS conditions after thermal recovery and that the POF can be used on the accurate assessment of indentation, flexural and tensile loading, static or cyclical, even after removal of the load. The reusability of the proposed sensor combined with a deeper understanding of the memory mechanisms in POFs are of great interest for the development of new large-strain sensors for modern applications.

© 2019 Optical Society of America

Multimode interferometer-based torsion sensor employing perfluorinated polymer optical fiber

Xiaojun Fan, Junfeng Jiang, Xuezhi Zhang, Kun Liu, Shuang Wang, and Tiegen Liu
Opt. Express 27(20) 28123-28132 (2019)

Effect of elongation deformation on power losses in polymer optical fibers

Yung-Chuan Chen, Pao-Chuan Chen, and Jao-Hwa Kuang
Appl. Opt. 45(26) 6668-6674 (2006)

Polymer-optical-fiber-based sensor system for simultaneous measurement of angle and temperature

Arnaldo Leal-Junior, Anselmo Frizera, Carlos Marques, and Maria José Pontes
Appl. Opt. 57(7) 1717-1723 (2018)

Power losses in deformed graded-index polymer optical fibers

Li-Wen Chen, Hsun-Heng Tsai, Yi-Long Ke, and Yung-Chuan Chen
Appl. Opt. 47(27) 4907-4914 (2008)

Long-term strain response of polymer optical fiber FBG sensors

Ivan-Lazar Bundalo, Kristian Nielsen, Getinet Woyessa, and Ole Bang
Opt. Mater. Express 7(3) 967-976 (2017)