Development of a three axis strain and temperature fiber optic grating sensor

Develpment of a navel 3 axis strain and temperature fiber optic grating sensor is described. This sensor relies on dual overlaid fiber gratings written onto birefringent optical fiber resulting in four effective fiber gratings. By using dual overlaid phase masks fabrication costs for this sensor can be expected to be similar to that of a single fiber grating. This paper reports on early development efforts associated with the 3 axis strain and temperature sensor.