A Mach–Zehnder fiber optic sensor with high refractive index response sensitivity was developed. By fabricating a waist-enlarged bitaper structure on the interference arm of a single mode–multimode–single mode (SMS) Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI), the spectral contrast and response sensitivity were improved. Subsequently, the response sensitivity was further improved by etching the interference arm. When a beam of light was introduced into the sensor, due to the structural mismatch between the multimode fiber and the normal transmission light, the difference between the low-order mode and the high-order mode was generated in the fiber core and the fiber cladding. In the process of transmission in the sensing arm, due to the different refractive indices of the core and cladding, the optical path difference of the high-order mode and the low-order mode was different, which eventually generated interference fringes. The experimentally measured response sensitivity of SMS MZI in the range of 1.351 RIU to 1.402 RIU is 57.623 nm/RIU; the response sensitivity of a single mode–multimode–bitaper–multimode–single mode (SMBMS) MZI is 61.607 nm/RIU; and the response sensitivity of the etched SMBMS (ESMBMS) MZI is 287.65 nm/RIU. The response sensitivity of the new ESMBMS MZI is three times higher than that of the original SMS MZI. The sensor has the characteristics of compact structure, high sensitivity, easy manufacture, and a wide range of refractive index measurements, and can be used in food processing, pharmaceutical manufacturing and other fields.

Here, we present a high-precision demodulation method that supports the arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) system, which includes a 1 × 8 AWG as the primary filter with a 0.5 nm channel spacing and a 1 × 4 AWG as the auxiliary filter with a 1 nm channel spacing. The high precision is achieved through an innovative method of decoupling three channels, involving two adjacent channels of the primary filter and one channel of the secondary auxiliary filter. Simulation results show that the AWGs have a good transmission spectrum with crosstalk below −24.8 dB, non-uniformities below 0.8 dB, insertion loss below −3.7 dB, 3 dB bandwidth of 0.25 nm, and 10 dB bandwidth of 0.43 nm. The interrogation precision can reach 8 pm, with a dynamic range of 0.4 nm, corresponding to a single FBG.

In the rolling process of heavy cylinders, the deformation section is subjected to the effects of compression and shear. In order to analyze the influences of the shear effect on the microstructure evolution characteristics, a mathematical model was established and the rolling process was simulated. Firstly, shear-compression specimen (SCS) and ordinary cylinder specimens were designed, high-temperature compression experiments were carried out and the mathematical model of microstructure evolution considering shear effect was established; then, a program based on finite element software was developed to simulate the microstructure evolution process, and the feasibility of the development program was verified by compression experiments. Finally, a macro–micro coupling model based on the development program was established to simulate the microstructure evolution of the heavy cylinder during the rolling process. Then, the influence of the shear effect on the microstructure evolution was analyzed. The results showed that the shear effect had a great influence on the heavy cylinder. Dynamic recrystallization was more likely to occur in the heavy cylinder during the rolling process and the grain refinement was more obvious; compared with the case without considering the shear effect, the volume fraction of dynamic recrystallization was increased by 0.25%, and the grain size was refined by 30 μm.