We report on the development and characterization of single peak fibre Bragg gratings (FBGs) in polymer optical fibre (POF). We use a multimode gradient index cyclic transparent optical polymer (CYTOP) fibre, where the FBGs are inscribed with a femtosecond laser. We adapt the direct-write, plane-by-plane inscription method, where the beam is scanned transversely across the core, to create refractive index changes. In order to reduce the number of fibre modes coupling to the grating, we limit the FBG's spatial extent to the central part of the core, in the region where the gradient index profile peaks. In this way, we are able to excite the strongest lower order modes thereby generating single peak POF-FBG spectra. We support our experimental results with modelling using the bi-directional beam propagation method (Bi-BPM). Furthermore, a FBG array is used as a quasi-distributed sensor, recovering the vibration response of a freely suspended metal beam, using a 6-m sensing strand. The FBGs are multiplexed using a high-speed commercial wavelength demodulator, the output of which provides wavelength- and time-dependent displacement information. The results are compared directly with the performance of a silica fibre-based FBG sensor array, and show a significant sensor sensitivity improvement for the polymer fibre to dynamic strain

Aging degradation and seismic damage of civil infrastructures have become a serious issue for society, and one promising technology for monitoring their conditions is optical fiber sensing. Glass optical fibers have been predominantly used for the past several decades to develop fiber sensors, but currently polymer or plastic optical fibers (POFs) have also been used extensively to develop advanced fiber sensors because of their unique features, such as high flexibility, large breakage strain, and impact resistance. This review focuses on recently developed distributed and quasi-distributed POF-based sensing techniques based on Rayleigh scattering, Brillouin scattering, and fiber Bragg gratings.

We report on the development of a multiplexed sensor array of fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs), inscribed using a femtosecond laser, and its demonstration as a quasi-distributed sensor to capture the mode shapes, through surface displacement sampling, of a free-free vibrating beam. Our method is based on a plane-by-plane inscription approach, whereby a 2-D index change is written across the fiber core, controlling the width and depth of the modified region. This allows for the fast inscription of multiple wavelength FBGs in coated optical fibers, with the advantage of less stringent alignment requirements. The FBGs are multiplexed in the wavelength domain using a high-speed demodulator, using a fast, custom-made computational algorithm. We recover rapid and single-step wavelength- and time-dependent displacement information, extracting the first two mode shapes of a vibrating beam and their respective degrees of freedom resonance frequencies in <;0.4 s.

We propose a novel polymer optical fiber (POF) sensing system based on fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) to measure foot plantar pressure. The plantar pressure signals are detected by five FBGs, in the same piece of cyclic transparent optical polymer (CYTOP) fiber, which are embedded in a cork insole for the dynamic monitoring of gait. The calibration and measurements performed with the suggested system are presented, and the results obtained demonstrate the accuracy and reliability of the sensing platform to monitor the foot plantar pressure distribution during gait motion and the application of pressure. This architecture does not compromise the patient’s mobility nor interfere in their daily activities. The results using the CYTOP fiber showed a very good response when compared with solutions using silica optical fibers, resulting in a sensitivity almost twice as high, with excellent repeatability and ease of handling. The advantages of POF (e.g., high flexibility and robustness) proved that this is a viable solution for this type of application, since POF’s high fracture toughness enables its application in monitoring patients with higher body mass compared with similar systems based on silica fiber. This study has demonstrated the viability of the proposed system based on POF technology as a useful alternative for plantar pressure detection systems.