Strain transferring of embedded fiber Bragg grating sensors

The relationship between the strains measured by a fiber Bragg grating sensor and the actual structural strains is deduced, then the average strain transfer rate computed by the formulation developed in this paper is compared with available experimental data. The critical adherence length of an optical fiber sensor is determined by a strain lag parameter, which contains both the effects of the geometry and the relative stiffness of the structural components. The analyses shows that the critical adherence length of a fiber sensing segment is the minimum length with which the fiber has to be tightly glued to a structure for adequate sensing. The strain transfer rate of an optical fiber sensor embedded in a multi-layered structure is developed in a similar way, and the factors that influence the efficiency of optical fiber sensor strain transferring are discussed. It is concluded that the strains, sensed by a fiber Bragg grating, have to be magnified by a factor (strain transfer rate) to equal exactly to the actual structural strains.