COMPOSITES REINFORCED SENSING TAPE. COST EFFECTIVE. ROBUST.

We engineer, produce and implement customized composites reinforced Fiber Bragg Gratings sensing tapes for harsh environments.

FIBER BRAGG GRATINGS MADE ROBUST

Embedded or surface mounted composites based fiber optic FBG sensors

FAST to install

Surface mounted (10 min/sensor) or embedded (seconds, minutes)

TAILORED

Variable & unlimited length, variable amount of sensing points, custom sensor position

GEOMETRIC Freedom

Our STRIP technology can be produced Round or Flat

MULTIPLEXING

Allowing an extensive sensor network of 20 to 35 sensors/channel

RESISTANT

Ous strip technology is resistant to chemicals, sea water, oil, temperature, pressure

NON INTRUSIVE

FBG are small in diameter and immune to electromagnetic interference & performs measurements regardless of vibration, temperature

FIBER BRAGG GRATINGS MADE VERSATILE

Designed for harsh environments

Concrete

Asphalt

Composites

Steel

FIBER BRAGG GRATINGS MADE COST-EFFECTIVE

Fiber Optics becomes more cost-effective vs conventional strain gauges as of 8 sensors!

Yes, you can now forget your labour intensive strain gauges and thermocouples, and their associated wiring!

FIBER OPTICS VS ELECTRICAL STRAIN GAUGES

Features
Fibre Optic
Electric
Price (sensor + read-out)
Becomes more cost-effective for more sensors. Break-even point already for 8 sensors
Price scales linearly with the number of sensors since every sensor needs a separate read-out channel
Multiplexing
Possible to multiplex, i.e. multiple sensors can be allocated within the same optical fibre
No multiplexing capability in series configuration
EM-radiation
Immune
EM-sensitive
Lightning/electric discharge
Lightning and discharge proof
May cause damage or complete failure
Electric conductivity
Non-conductive and hence no special precautions needed for outdoor use or usage under water
All wiring needs to be hermetically sealed for outdoor use or usage under water
Explosion Safety
Spark-free and hence safe in potentially explosive atmospheres
Hazardous in explosive atmospheres
Measurement distance
Up to tens of kilometers
Limited in range without any additional amplification

FIBER BRAGG GRATINGS EXPLAINED

No compromises!

FBG PRINCIPLE

The FBG is a passive and discrete optical component at a specific spot in an optical fiber. An optical fiber consists of a fiber core and a fiber cladding. The Bragg grating is an area in the fiber core with a pre-defined length, Lg and an alternating periodic refractive index change, i.e. n1 ,n2 (Figure 1). An FBG acts as an optical filter or reflection filter and provides a frequency dependent reflection spectrum or stop band to the incident signal over a specific bandwidth. The stop band is centred at the Bragg wavelength, λB, and is given by the well-known Bragg condition , where ΛFBG is the grating period and n eff is the mode index or effective refractive index of the fiber.

Basic FBG strain sensing principle

The basic principle of strain sensing of a fiber Bragg grating is shown in Figure 2. When the fiber, having a nominal length, L0, is being elongated to a certain length L, the grating period will be strained and the refractive index of the fiber will change as well. As a consequence, a positive Bragg peak shift is induced from λB0 to λB . In fact, an FBG can be seen as the optical equivalent of a resistive strain gage (RSG). The basic principle of both types of sensor is the same: only one parameter will change when being strained. For an RSG, it is the resistance of the wire which changes as a function of strain and for the optical counterpart, it is the Bragg wavelength which shifts.

RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS

Papers, publications and researchs