Over the past decade vehicle judder caused by Disc Thickness Variation (DTV) has become of major concern to automobile manufacturers worldwide. Judder is usually perceived by the driver as minor to severe vibrations transferred through the chassis during braking [1-9]. In this research, DTV is investigated via the use of a Smart Brake Pad (SBP). The SBP is a tool that will enable engineers to better understand the processes which occur in the harsh and confined environment that exists between the brake pad and disc whilst braking. It is also a tool that will enable engineers to better understand the causes of DTV and stick-slip the initiators of low and high frequency vibration in motor vehicle brakes. Furthermore, the technology can equally be used to solve many other still remaining mysteries in automotive, aerospace, rail or anywhere where two surfaces may come in contact. The SBP consists of sensors embedded into an automotive brake pad enabling it to measure pressure between the brake pad and disc whilst braking. The two sensor technologies investigated were Thick Film (TF) and Fibre Optic (FO) technologies. Each type was tested individually using a Material Testing System (MTS) at room and elevated temperatures. The chosen SBP was then successfully tested in simulated driving conditions. A preliminary mathematical model was developed and tested for the TF sensor and a novel Finite Element Analysis (FEA) model for the FO sensor. A new method called the Total Expected Error (TEE) method was also developed to simplify the sensor specification process to ensure consistent comparisons are made between sensors. Most importantly, our achievement will lead to improved comfort levels for the motorist.

This paper reports a reciprocal Mach-Zehnder interferometer in a dual Sagnac ring configuration, and one of two arms in Mach-Zehnder interferometer is used for underwater optic fiber hydrophone. Two Mach-Zehnder interferometers operated in opposite sense are simultaneously induced from the underwater acoustic wave and the PZT phase modulation. Thus, at the output, four interferometric beams occur such that the intensity of interferometric beams will enhance. In general, one stage of a double Mach-Zehnder interferometer is just used as a sensor, another one for compensation. Specially, this paper presents two stages of a double Mach-Zehnder interferometer sense the measurand at the same time due to the topology structure of Sagnac ring pairs. In the other words, the characteristic is to win the affection of two beauties at the same time. Two rings in the same direction make a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. Besides, the inner ring in the clockwise direction and the outer one in the counterclockwise direction also make a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. So as to the unbalanced arms of the Mach-Zehnder interferometer, the underwater acoustic wave induces the light beam phase difference in optic fiber hydrophone interrogator to demodulate the acoustic wave signal by PGC circuit.

This thesis focuses on two topics: thermal limitations of volume Bragg gratings (VBGs) employed as laser-cavity mirrors and formation of color centers in KTiOPO4 and its isomorphs. To explore the mechanisms of the thermal limitations of VBGs in high power lasers, I designed and constructed a diode-pumped, solid‑state laser with a VBG as cavity mirror that had a significantly higher absorption than what is typical. Thereby I could study the limiting thermal effects by using only moderate intra-cavity power. Additionally, I designed a computer model to numerically investigate the thermal effects in VBGs. Both the experiments and the simulations showed that the laser became successively more unstable when the power was increased. Absorption of the reflected laser beam causes broadening of the grating spectrum accompanied by decreasing diffraction efficiency. The reduced reflectivity leads to a leakage of the radiation through the grating. Moreover, the simulations showed that this increased instability was due to a reshaping of the intensity distribution profile inside the grating, which, in turn, leads to a sharp reduction of the diffraction efficiency. High-intensity visible radiation induces color centers in KTiOPO4, which can lead to severe decrease in the performance of the crystal and can cause catastrophic breakdown. The formation of color centers was investigated by measuring picosecond, blue-light induced infrared absorption (BLIIRA) in periodically-poled KTiOPO4, Rb:KTiOPO4, RbTiOPO4, KTiOAsO4 and RbTiOAsO4 through thermal lens spectroscopy using a common-path interferometer. This setup is capable of measuring absorption as low as 10-5 cm-1. The dependence of the BLIIRA signal on blue light average power and intensity as well as on the crystal temperature was studied. The results show the presence of at least two different types of color centers. A higher level of remnant absorption was observed in the phosphates compared to that of the arsenates. The largest portion of the induced absorption is attributed to photo-generated electrons and holes being self-trapped in the proximity to the Ti4+ and O2- ions, respectively, forming polaron color centers. Stabilization of these centers is aided by the presence of mobile alkali metal vacancies in the crystal. / Denna avhandling fokuserar på både volymbraggitters (VBGs) termiska begränsningar, i tillämpning som speglar i laserkaviteter, och på bildandet av färgcentra i KTiOPO4 och isomorfa kristaller. För att undersöka de termiska effekterna i VBGer som medför begränsningar på högeffektlasrar utfördes både experiment och simuleringar. För experimenten konstruerades en diod-pumpad Yb:KYW laser med ett VBG som har betydligt högre absorption än vad som är typiskt. Därmed kunde de termiska effekterna studeras vid måttliga intrakavitetseffekter. Simuleringarna bestod av två delmodeller; gitterstrukturen modelerades med överföringsmatriser och värmeflödet med en tredimensionell modell baserad på finita elementmetoden. Både experimenten och simuleringarna visade att en laser blir successivt mer instabil när den optiska effekten ökar. Absorptionen av laserstrålen i VBGt förändrade dess spektrala egenskaper, vilket i sin tur påverkade laserns stabilitet och prestanda. De huvudsakliga effekterna var en breddning av gittrets spektrum med en minskad reflektans. Simuleringarna visade även att den ökade instabiliteten berodde på en förändring av strålningens intensitetsfördelning inuti gittret, vilket accelererade reduktionen av gittrets reflekterande förmåga. I termer av den effekt som faller in mot gittret, har lasern en tydlig övre effektgräns. När den gränsen har uppnåtts leder vidare ökning av pumpeffekten i huvudsak till ökat läckage genom volymbraggittret, i stället för till ökad uteffekt hos laserstrålen. Kortvågigt synlig ljus av hög intensitet inducerar färgcentra i KTiOPO4, vilket kan leda till kraftigt reducerad transparens och kan orsaka permanent skada i kristallen. För att undersöka skapandet av dessa färgcentra mättes den termiska lins som uppstår vid blå-ljus-inducerad infraröd absorption (Eng: blue-light induced infrared absorption = BLIIRA) inducerad av blåa laserpulser vid en våglängd av 398 nm och vid pulslängder i storlek av pikosekunder i periodiskt‑polad KTiOPO4, Rb:KTiOPO4, RbTiOPO4, KTiOAsO4 och RbTiOAsO4. Den termiska linsen mättes med en metod kallad gemensam-vägsträcka-interferometer (Eng: common-path interferometer), en metod känslig nog för att mäta absorption så låg som 10-5 cm-1. Dessutom undersöktes hur nivån av BLIIRA beror på medeleffekten och intensiteten hos den blåa laserstrålen samt på kristalltemperaturen. Resultaten visar att det bildas minst två typer av färgcentra med olika livslängder. Vidare observerades en högre grad av långsamt avklingande absorption i fosfaterna jämfört med arsenaterna. Den största delen av den inducerade absorptionen tillskrivs fotogenererade elektroner och hål som ”självfångas” i närheten av Ti4+ respektive O2- joner, och bildar färgcentra av polaron karaktär. Stabilisering av dessa centra underlättas av lättrörliga alkalivakanser i kristallerna. / <p>QC 20150922</p>

Darbe pristatomi eksperimentiniai bei teoriniai rezultatai, susiję su skaidriųjų terpių lūžio rodiklio pokyčio indukavimu. Parodoma, kad lydytą kvarcą veikiant Yb:KGV lazerine sistema generuojamais impulsais, jame galima sukurti modifikuoto lūžio rodiklio sritis. Šios sritys pasižymi dvejopu šviesos lūžimu, atsirandančiu dėl medžiagos tūryje besiformuojančių nanogardelių, o modifikuotų sričių vienalytiškumas priklauso nuo akumuliacinių efektų. Pakitusio lūžio rodiklio sritis taip pat galima formuoti ir ličio niobato kristale. Priklausomai nuo spinduliuotės parametrų, šiame kristale galima įrašyti stabilius modifikuoto lūžio rodiklio darinius, o taip pat ir nestabilias modifikacijas, atsirandančias dėl fotorefrakcinio reiškinio. Pastarąjį efektą galima panaudoti daugkartiniam informacijos įrašymui. Pademonstruoti efektyvūs fotoniniai elementai, tūrinės Brego gardelės, įrašytos tiek lydyto kvarco, tiek ličio niobato kristalo tūryje. Pateikiama metodika, skirta lazerio indukuoto lūžio rodiklio pokyčiui nustatyti matuojant Brego gardelių difrakcinius efektyvumus. Taip pat tyrinėjama kaip modifikuoti dariniai lemia superkontinuumo ir šviesos gijos formavimosi reiškinius lydytame kvarce. / The study on refractive index modification of transparent materials with ultrashort laser pulses is presented in this dissertation. Based on experimental data it was demonstrated, that using ultrashort pulses, generated with Yb:KGW laser system, it is possible to produce modified refractive index zones in the fused silica glass, that possess birefringence. This effect is caused by nanogratings that form in the bulk of the material. Homogeneity of the modified zones is determined by the accumulation effects, mainly the number of pulses that affect each area. Refractive index variations can be created also in crystalline material such as lithium niobate. Depending on the writing pulse parameters different types of modifications can be created: permanent modification that is caused by crystal amorphization and non-stable modifications that originate from the photorefractive properties of the crystal. Latter modifications can be used for three-dimensional, rewritable data recording. Highly efficient photonic elements, such as volume Bragg gratings, recorded in fused silica and lithium niobate crystal are demonstrated. The technique allowing the evaluation of refractive index change applying Bragg gratings is described. Also modification influence on nonlinear processes that appear in fused silica such as filament formation and supercontinuum generation is experimentally investigated.

The study on refractive index modification of transparent materials with ultrashort laser pulses is presented in this work. Based on experimental data it was demonstrated, that using ultrashort pulses, generated with Yb:KGW laser system, it is possible to produce modified refractive index zones in the fused silica glass, that possess birefringence. This effect is caused by nanogratings that form in the bulk of the material. Homogeneity of the modified zones is determined by the accumulation effects, mainly the number of pulses that affect each area. Refractive index variations can be created also in crystalline material such as lithium niobate. Depending on the writing pulse parameters different types of modifications can be created: permanent modification that is caused by crystal amorphization and non-stable modifications that originate from the photorefractive properties of the crystal. Latter modifications can be used for three-dimensional, rewritable data recording. Highly efficient photonic elements, such as volume Bragg gratings, recorded in fused silica and lithium niobate crystal are demonstrated. The technique, allowing the evaluation of refractive index change applying Bragg gratings, is described. Also modification influence on nonlinear processes that appear in fused silica such as filament formation and supercontinuum generation is experimentally investigated. / Darbe pristatomi eksperimentiniai bei teoriniai rezultatai, susiję su skaidriųjų terpių lūžio rodiklio pokyčio indukavimu. Parodoma, kad lydytą kvarcą veikiant Yb:KGV lazerine sistema generuojamais impulsais, jame galima sukurti modifikuoto lūžio rodiklio sritis. Šios sritys pasižymi dvejopu šviesos lūžimu, atsirandančiu dėl medžiagos tūryje besiformuojančių nanogardelių, o modifikuotų sričių vienalytiškumas priklauso nuo akumuliacinių efektų. Pakitusio lūžio rodiklio sritis taip pat galima formuoti ir ličio niobato kristale. Priklausomai nuo spinduliuotės parametrų, šiame kristale galima įrašyti stabilius modifikuoto lūžio rodiklio darinius, o taip pat ir nestabilias modifikacijas, atsirandančias dėl fotorefrakcinio reiškinio. Pastarąjį efektą galima panaudoti daugkartiniam informacijos įrašymui. Pademonstruoti efektyvūs fotoniniai elementai, tūrinės Brego gardelės, įrašytos tiek lydyto kvarco, tiek ličio niobato kristalo tūryje. Pateikiama metodika, skirta lazerio indukuoto lūžio rodiklio pokyčiui nustatyti matuojant Brego gardelių difrakcinius efektyvumus. Taip pat tyrinėjama kaip modifikuoti dariniai lemia superkontinuumo ir šviesos gijos formavimosi reiškinius lydytame kvarce.

La spectroscopie Raman est un outil non destructif fort utile lors de la caractérisation de matériau. Cette technique consiste essentiellement à faire l’analyse de la diffusion inélastique de lumière par un matériau. Les performances d’un système de spectroscopie Raman proviennent en majeure partie de deux filtres ; l’un pour purifier la raie incidente (habituellement un laser) et l’autre pour atténuer la raie élastique du faisceau de signal. En spectroscopie Raman résonante (SRR), l’énergie (la longueur d’onde) d’excitation est accordée de façon à être voisine d’une transition électronique permise dans le matériau à l’étude. La section efficace d’un processus Raman peut alors être augmentée d’un facteur allant jusqu’à 106. La technologie actuelle est limitée au niveau des filtres accordables en longueur d’onde. La SRR est donc une technique complexe et pour l’instant fastidieuse à mettre en œuvre. Ce mémoire présente la conception et la construction d’un système de spectroscopie Raman accordable en longueur d’onde basé sur des filtres à réseaux de Bragg en volume. Ce système vise une utilisation dans le proche infrarouge afin d’étudier les résonances de nanotubes de carbone. Les étapes menant à la mise en fonction du système sont décrites. Elles couvrent les aspects de conceptualisation, de fabrication, de caractérisation ainsi que de l’optimisation du système. Ce projet fut réalisé en étroite collaboration avec une petite entreprise d’ici, Photon etc. De cette coopération sont nés les filtres accordables permettant avec facilité de changer la longueur d’onde d’excitation. Ces filtres ont été combinés à un laser titane : saphir accordable de 700 à 1100 nm, à un microscope «maison» ainsi qu’à un système de détection utilisant une caméra CCD et un spectromètre à réseau. Sont d’abord présentés les aspects théoriques entourant la SRR. Par la suite, les nanotubes de carbone (NTC) sont décrits et utilisés pour montrer la pertinence d’une telle technique. Ensuite, le principe de fonctionnement des filtres est décrit pour être suivi de l’article où sont parus les principaux résultats de ce travail. On y trouvera entre autres la caractérisation optique des filtres. Les limites de basses fréquences du système sont démontrées en effectuant des mesures sur un échantillon de soufre dont la raie à 27 cm-1 est clairement résolue. La simplicité d’accordabilité est quant à elle démontrée par l’utilisation d’un échantillon de NTC en poudre. En variant la longueur d’onde (l’énergie d’excitation), différentes chiralités sont observées et par le fait même, différentes raies sont présentes dans les spectres. Finalement, des précisions sur l’alignement, l’optimisation et l’opération du système sont décrites. La faible acceptance angulaire est l’inconvénient majeur de l’utilisation de ce type de filtre. Elle se répercute en problème d’atténuation ce qui est critique plus particulièrement pour le filtre coupe-bande. Des améliorations possibles face à cette limitation sont étudiées. / Raman spectroscopy is a useful and non-destructive tool for material characterization. It uses inelastic light scattering interaction with matter to investigate materials. The major part of the performances in a Raman spectroscopy system comes from two light filter units: the first shapes the light source (usually a laser) and the other attenuates the elastic scattered light in the signal beam. In resonant Raman spectroscopy (RRS), the excitation energy (wavelength) is tuned to match an electronic transition of the sample. When in resonance, the Raman cross section is increased by a factor up to 106. Current RRS setups are limited by filtering devices technology. RRS is a complex technique which, for the moment, remains tedious to implement. This master thesis presents the construction of a tunable Raman spectroscopy system based on volume Bragg gratings light filters. The setup is designed to operate in the near infrared region so as to study carbon nanotubes resonances. Steps leading to the operation of the system are described. They cover conceptualization, fabrication, characterization and optimisation of the setup. Collaboration with a local small company, Photon etc, led to the building of two new light filters that allow to tune easily the excitation wavelength. These filters have been adapted to work with a tunable titanium-sapphire laser (tunable from 700 to 1100 nm) and assembled with a homemade microscope and a detection system combining a CCD camera with a grating spectrometer. This document is arranged as follow: First are presented the theoretical aspects surrounding RRS. Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are than described to illustrate the relevance of such technique applied to material science. Principles behind the use of the Bragg filters are described to be followed by a scientific paper in which the main results of this work are presented. These include the optical characterisation of the filters and measurements with the system. Low frequency limits of the system are demonstrated using a sulphur powder where the 27 cm-1 line is clearly resolved. The tunability of the setup is also demonstrated using a bulk carbon nanotube sample. By changing the excitation wavelength, different nanotube chiralities become resonant, leading to different signals in the Raman spectra. Finally, clarifications regarding the alignment, optimisation and operation of the system are described. Low angular acceptance has been found to be the main drawback of the system leading to attenuation problems especially critical for the notch filter. Possible improvements on this limitation are discussed.

Since their discovery in 1978 by Hill et al. and the development of the transverse holographic technique for their fabrication by Meltz et al. in 1989, fiber Bragg gratings (FBG) have become an important device for applications in optical communications, optical signal processing and fiber-optical sensors. A superstructured fiber Bragg grating (SFBG), also called a sampled fiber Bragg grating, is a special FBG that consists of a several small FBGs placed in close proximity to one another. SFBGs have attracted much attention in recent years with the discovery of techniques allowing the creation of equivalent chirp or equivalent phase shifts. The biggest advantage of an SFBG with equivalent chirp or equivalent phase shifts is the possibility to design and fabricate gratings with greatly varying phase and amplitude responses by adjusting the spatial profile of the superstructure. The realization of SFBGs with equivalent chirp or equivalent phase shifts requires only sub-millimeter precision. This is a relief from the sub-micron precision required by traditional approaches. In this thesis, the mathematical modeling of FBGs and SFBGs is reviewed. The use of SFBGs for various applications in photonic microwave signal processing is considered. Four main topics are presented in this thesis. The first topic is the use of SFBG as a photonic true-time delay (TTD) beamformer for phased array antennas (PAAs). The second topic addresses non-linearities in the group delay response of an SFBG with equivalent chirp in its sampling period. An SFBG with an equivalent chirp using only a linear chirp coefficient may yield a group delay response that deviates from the linear response required by a TTD beamformer. In the thesis, a technique to improve the linearity of the group delay response is proposed and an adaptive algorithm to find the optimal linear and non-linear chirp coefficients to produce the best linear group delay response is described. Since no closed-form solution exists to represent the amplitude and phase responses of an SFBG, we rely on a Fourier transform analogy under a weak grating approximation as a starting point in the design of an SFBG. Simulations are then used to refine the response of the SFBG. The algorithm proposed provides an optimal set of chirp coefficients that minimizes the error in the group delay response. Four gratings are fabricated using the optimized chirp coefficients and their application in a TTD PAA system is discussed. The third topic discusses the use of an SFBG with equivalent phase shifts in its sampling period as a means to realize optical single sideband (SSB) modulation. SSB modulation eliminates the power penalty caused by chromatic dispersion experienced by an optical signal traveling through a long length of optical fiber. By introducing two π phase shifts through equivalent sampling to the SFBG, two ultra-narrow transmission bands are created in the grating stop band of the +/- 1st spectral orders. In the proposed system, a double-sideband plus carrier (DSB+C) modulated optical signal is sent to the input of an optical SSB filter based on the equivalent phase-shift SFBG in order to select the optical carrier and a single sideband, effectively blocking one sideband from propagating. Finally, the fourth topic focuses on the implementation of a photonic microwave bandpass filter based on an SFBG with equivalent chirp. Photonic microwave filters are used to process microwave signals in the optical domain. By using a technique called phase-modulation to intensity-modulation (PM-IM) conversion, a two-tap delay line filter is created with one negative tap. A single SFBG with a chirp in its sampling period is used as a means to achieve the PM-IM conversion for the two taps. Two phase modulated optical carriers are used to generate the two taps, each entering a different port of the SFBG and thus experiencing an opposite dispersion value. The two optical signals are then recombined before being sent to a photodetector (PD) where the filtered microwave signal is recovered.

[pt] Este trabalho versa sobre duas diferentes aplicações de sensores a redes de Bragg em fibra óptica. A primeira consiste no desenvolvimento de uma técnica de sensoriamento do pH empregando fibra óptica, que visa a monitoração contínua e permanente deste parâmetro em poços de petróleo depletados e de injeção. Nesta aplicação, as redes de Bragg são acopladas, através de um mecanismo transdutor, a sistemas poliméricos que respondem a alterações do pH apresentando uma variação expressiva de seu volume. O tempo de resposta e o fator de inchamento do sistema polimérico foram caracterizados para valores de pH 3, 4, 5, e 6, em soluções aquosas contendo sais dissolvidos em concentrações típicas das encontradas em águas de formação. As medições foram realizadas a temperaturas e pressões ambientes, assim como na presença de óleo, e após a pressurização do sistema polimérico até 5000 psi. Diferentes mecanismos transdutores foram projetados e construídos, e suas respostas, avaliadas em soluções aquosas com composição similar à das águas de formação. Foram estimadas a sensibilidade da técnica e as principais fontes de incerteza na medição do pH. Procurou-se também avaliar a funcionalidade dos mecanismos transdutores visando uma futura instalação em poço. Na segunda aplicação, é proposta uma técnica para a medição in situ da tensão residual induzida em filmes finos de alta dureza durante sua deposição em câmaras de sputtering assitido por rádio-frequência e campo magnético. A técnica é constituída por uma viga em aço engastada, tendo uma de suas faces instrumentada com um conjunto de redes de Bragg a fibra óptica, enquanto a face oposta é exposta ao fluxo de íons do material a ser depositado. O sistema sensor é instalado em uma câmara que opera sob alto vácuo, enquanto os aparelhos de leitura permanecem no exterior. A resposta do protótipo em função de variações do campo magnético e da temperatura no interior da câmara foi levantada. Em seguinda, foram realizadas medições da deformação da viga durante a deposição de filmes de sílica, de óxido de titânio-índio, e de carbeto de silício. A tensão residual dos filmes foi calculada e comparada com resultados de medições de curvatura do substrato realizadas empregando um perfilômetro. Tensões residuais de 6 MPa até 0,2 Gpa foram obtidas durante as diferentes deposições. / [en] This work treats of two different applications of optical fiber Bragg grating sensors. The first application consists of a pH sensing technique that employs optical fiber to permanent and continuously monitor the pH in depleted and injection oil wells. In this application, the Bragg gratings are coupled by a transduction mechanism to a polymeric system which responds to pH variations with a large volume change. The response time as well as the swelling factor of the polymeric system at pH 3, 4, 5, and 6 have been characterized in aqueous solutions with dissolved salts in concentrations typical of those found in formation waters. Experiments have been carried out at room temperature and pressures, in the presence of oil, and after pressurization up to 5000 psi. Several mechanisms of transduction have been designed, constructed, and tested in solutions similar to the formation waters. The sensitivity of the technique and the main sources of uncertainties related to the pH measurement have been investigated. Also, the functionality of the mechanisms has been evaluated aiming at a future installation in the petroleum wells. The second application investigated is a technique for in situ measurement of the residual stress induced in hard thin films during deposition by RF magnetron sputtering. The sensing technique consists of a cantilever steel beam. One of the surfaces of the beam is instrumented using optical fiber Bragg gratings; the opposite face is exposed to the ion flux that originates the thin film. The sensing system is installed in a vacuum chamber while the interrogating apparatus remains outside. The prototype has been characterized with respect to variations of the magnetic field and the temperature inside the chamber. Measurements of the beam strain have been carried out during deposition of silica, indium- titanium oxide, and silicon carbide thin films. The residual stresses have been calculated and the results compared with data obtained using perfilometry. Residual stress values varying from 6 MPa up to 200 MPa have been obtained during the different deposition processes.

[pt] O foco do presente trabalho é a detecção e o monitoramento de defeitos tais como perda de espessura por corrosão ou dano produzido por impacto em painéis metálicos planos. O sistema proposto emprega sensores de deformação a fibra óptica baseados em redes de Bragg, que possuem alta capacidade de multiplexação. O campo de deformações produzido na superfície da placa por um mesmo carregamento, cuja amplitude pode variar, é continuamente comparado a um mapa de referência, obtido com a estrutura íntegra ou na presença um defeito previamente detectado. Variações nos gradientes de deformações são associadas ao surgimento ou crescimento de um ou mais defeitos. Neste estudo, a metodologia foi preliminarmente avaliada através da análise de campos de deformação produzidos por carregamentos de tração em corpos de alumínio contendo defeitos superficiais. Esses defeitos exemplificam danos causados por corrosão, e são monitorados através de sensores a fibra óptica baseados em redes de Bragg. Os sensores são posicionados ao longo de uma das superfícies da placa, medindo deformações em duas direções ortogonais, que neste estudo corresponderam às direções principais de deformação. A abordagem do problema fundamenta-se na análise de dados experimentais e modelagem numérica por elementos finitos. Os resultados numéricos para as deformações são comparados com os obtidos em experimentos em laboratório. A técnica é utilizada para avaliar qualitativamente os defeitos em estruturas submetidas a carregamento estático. A correlação entre resultados numéricos e experimentais mostraram-se satisfatórias, indicando que o método apresenta potencial para ser estendido para aplicações mais complexas. / [en] The present work is focused on detecting and monitoring damage such as loss of thickness due to corrosion or other planar defects in flat metallic panels. The proposed method employs fiber optic sensors that, due to their high multiplexing capability, are capable of mapping the strain fields in the panel surfaces produced by the same, controlled, loading, which are then continuously compared to a reference map obtained with the structure free of defects or with a previously detected damage. Changes in the strain gradient are attributed to the appearance or growth of structural damage. The proposed approach for structural health monitoring has been preliminarily evaluated in this dissertation by analyzing the strain fields produced on an aluminum plate under in plane tensile loads. Artificial, localized surface defects, simulating a loss of thickness due to corrosion where the investigated defects. A mesh of fiber Bragg grating sensors was installed on one of the panel surfaces measuring its principal strains. The strain fields obtained with the plate containing defects with different depths and sizes were compared to a reference measurement with the panel without defects. Experimental data was compared with numerical simulations based on the Finite Element method. The correlation between numerical and experimental results was satisfactory indicating that the method can be further developed in order to be applied in implementations of structural health monitoring systems.

FundaÃÃo Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Cientifico e TecnolÃgico / CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / Duas contribuiÃÃes caracteristicamente distintas, nÃo obstante correlacionÃveis num mesmo sistema de telecomunicaÃÃo, sÃo apresentadas. A primeira versa sobre antenas ressoadoras constituÃdas por novas cerÃmicas dielÃtricas à base de Fe2O3. Os materiais desenvolvidos foram caracterizados na faixa de micro-ondas. Tratam-se de dielÃtricos com baixa permissividade relativa, baixa tangente de perda, e, no caso das amostras monofÃsicas, com coeficiente de temperatura na frequÃncia de ressonÃncia negativo. Posteriormente, as antenas ressoadoras dielÃtricas de geometria cilÃndrica (CDRAs) suportadas em plano de terra retangular e alimentadas por sonda monopolar sÃo analisadas segundo critÃrios de desempenho de irradiaÃÃo, quais sejam: frequÃncia de ressonÃncia, impedÃncia de entrada, largura de banda e padrÃes de irradiaÃÃo. AlÃm de experimentaÃÃo, o seu estudo envolveu procedimento computacional, no que foi promovida a comparaÃÃo de resultados. O mÃtodo dos elementos finitos, no qual està baseado o programa comercial empregado, foi utilizado para anÃlise destas antenas. Resulta que para maiores valores de permissividade relativa de uma amostra, menores sÃo a frequÃncia em que a mesma ressoa e a sua largura de banda. Ainda, foi observado satisfatÃrio casamento de impedÃncia e padrÃes de irradiaÃÃo "broadside", o que candidata os novos materiais desenvolvidos a esta importante aplicaÃÃo. Adicionalmente, mediante empilhamento dos protÃtipos monofÃsicos examinados, foi verificada a remodelagem da largura de banda em relaÃÃo Ãs contrapartidas individuais, provavelmente devido à excitaÃÃo de modos de ordem elevada das CDRAs. A segunda contribuiÃÃo està enfocada no contexto dos guias de ondas dielÃtricos operando em frequÃncias Ãpticas. Neste cenÃrio, sÃo investigados acopladores refletores de Bragg a fibra (FBGCs), estruturas resultantes da combinaÃÃo de dois dispositivos reconhecidamente versÃteis e de ampla aplicaÃÃo: redes de Bragg e acopladores direcionais. Foram apreciados dois estudos de caso numÃricos nos quais se fez promover a interaÃÃo de sinais Ãpticos com as estruturas propostas. Na medida em que descreve com satisfatÃria precisÃo as propriedades Ãpticas dos dispositivos de interesse, o modelo matemÃtico empregado à baseado na teoria dos modos acoplados. O tratamento numÃrico à realizado mediante codificaÃÃo, em linguagem de programaÃÃo FORTRAN, de um algoritmo preditivo-corretor. Considerando regimes pulsados em termos da potÃncia operacional, o problema foi analisado no domÃnio da frequÃncia e, sobretudo, no domÃnio do tempo. Em condiÃÃes especÃficas, a possibilidade de realizaÃÃo da extraÃÃo, reconfiguraÃÃo e comutaÃÃo de pulsos, exemplos de funÃÃes essenciais ao processamento totalmente Ãptico, reforÃam a importÃncia de tais estruturas hÃbridas. / Two heterogeneous contributions to modern communication systems â although fully possible to be correlated â are presented. The first one deals with resonant antennas consisting of new dielectric ceramics based on Fe2O3. These materials characterized at microwave frequency range possess low relative permittivity, low loss tangent and, concerned with the monophasic samples, negative temperature coefficient of resonant frequency. Subsequently, the cylindrical dielectric resonator antennas (CDRAs) supported on rectangular ground plane and fed by monopole are analyzed according to the following radiation performance criteria: resonant frequency, input impedance, bandwidth and radiation patterns. Besides experimentation, the study involved computational procedure, so that the results of both can be compared. A commercial software based on the finite element method was employed to examine the CDRAs. It follows that as higher is the permittivity of a material, the lower are the frequency at which it resonates as well as its bandwidth. Satisfactory impedance matching and broadside radiation patterns are observed, what enables the materials investigated to this relevant application. Additionally, the stacking of the monophasic CDRAs prototypes resulted in bandwidth enhancement, presumably due to their excited high order modes. The second contribution focuses on dielectric waveguides operating at optical frequencies, being fiber Bragg grating couplers (FBGCs) investigated in this scenario. Indeed, they result from a combination of two versatile and widely applied devices: fiber Bragg gratings and directional couplers. Two numerical case studies related to the interaction between optical signals and structures were performed. The theoretical model observed is based on the coupled mode theory since it provides a satisfactorily accurate description of the devices optical properties. By the way, the theoretical model is coded in FORTRAN programming language according to a predictor-corrector algorithm. In terms of operational power levels, analyses are carried out in frequency and (mainly) time domains. Under specific conditions, the capability of the extraction, reshaping and switching of pulses â examples of essential functions for all-optical processing â reinforces the importance of such hybrid structures.