This investigation concerns the design, analysis, and initial testing of a new, two-component wall shear gage for 3D, high-temperature flows. This gage is a direct-measuring, non-nulling design with a round head surrounded by a small gap. Two flexure wheels are used to allow small motions of the floating head. Fiber-optic displacement sensors measure how far the polished faces of counterweights on the wheels move in relation to a fixed housing as the primary measurement system. No viscous damping was required. The gage has both fiber-optic instrumentation and strain gages mounted on the flexures for validation of the newer fiber optics. The sensor is constructed of Haynes 230, a high-temperature nickel alloy. The gage housing is made of 316 stainless steel. All components of the gage in pure fiber-optic form can survive to a temperature of 1073 K. The bonding methods of the backup strain gages limit their maximum temperature to 473 K. The dynamic range of the gage is from 0-500 Pa (0-10g) and higher shears can be measured by changing the floating head size. Extensive use of finite element modeling was critical to the design and analysis of the gage. Static structural, modal, and thermal analyses were performed on the flexures using the ANSYS finite element package. Static finite element analysis predicted the response of the flexures to a given load, and static calibrations using a direct force method confirmed these results. Finite element modal analysis results were within 16.4% for the first mode and within 30% for the second mode when compared with the experimentally determined modes. Vibration characteristics of the gage were determined from experimental free vibration data after the gage was subjected to an impulse. Uncertainties in the finished geometry make this level of error acceptable. A transient thermal analysis examined the effects of a very high heat flux on the exposed head of the gage. The 100,000 W/m2 heat flux used in this analysis is typical of a value in a scramjet engine. The gage can survive for 10 minutes and operate for 3 minutes before a 10% loss in flexure stiffness occurs under these conditions. Repeated cold-flow wind tunnel tests at Mach 2.4 with a stagnation pressure from 3.7-8.2 atm (55-120 psia) and ambient stagnation temperature (Re=6.6x107/m) and Mach 4.0 with a stagnation pressure from 10.2-12.2 atm (150-180 psia) and ambient stagnation temperature (Re=7.4x107/m) were performed in the Virginia Tech Supersonic Wind Tunnel. Some of these tests had the gage intentionally misaligned by 25o to create a virtual 3D flow in this nominally 2D facility. Experimental results gave excellent agreement with semi-empirical prediction methods for both the aligned and 25o experiments. This fiber-optic skin friction gage operated successfully without viscous damping. These tests in the supersonic wind tunnel validated this wall shear gage design concept. / Ph. D.

This dissertation addresses several theoretical issues in low-finesse fiber optic Fabry-Perot Interferometric (FPI) sensors. The work is divided into two levels: modeling of the sensors, and signal processing based on White-Light-Interferometry (WLI). In the first chapter, the technical background of the low-finesse FPI sensor is briefly reviewed and the problems to be solved are highlighted. A model for low finesse Extrinsic FPI (EFPI) is developed in Chapter 2. The theory is experimentally proven using both single-mode and multimode fiber based EFPIs. The fringe visibility and the additional phase in the spectrum are found to be strongly influenced by the optical path difference (OPD), the output spatial power distribution and the working wavelength; however they are not directly related to the light coherence. In Chapter 3, the Single-Multi-Single-mode Intrinsic FPI (SMS-IFPI) is theoretically and experimentally studied. Reflectivity, cavity refocusing, and the additional phase in the sensor spectrum are modeled. The multiplexing capacity of the sensor is dramatically increased by promoting light refocusing. Similar to EFPIs, wave-front distortion generates an additional phase in the interference spectrogram. The resultant non-constant phase plays an important role in causing abrupt jumps in the demodulated OPD. WLI-based signal processing of the low-finesse FP sensor is studied in Chapter 4. The lower bounds of the OPD estimation are calculated, the bounds are applied to evaluate OPD demodulation algorithms. Two types of algorithms (TYPE I & II) are studied and compared. The TYPE I estimations suffice if the requirement for resolution is relatively low. TYPE II estimation has dramatically reduced error, however, at the expense of potential demodulation jumps. If the additional phase is reliably dependent on OPD, it can be calibrated to minimize the occurrence of such jumps. In Chapter 5, the work is summarized and suggestions for future studies are given. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this study is to characterize the plasma spray deposits used for attaching intrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric fiber optic strain sensors. The deposits must maintain adhesion at elevated temperatures without distorting the sensors' signals. Two different material systems were tested and modeled, a nickel based alloy and yttria-stabilized zirconia. The material properties of the deposits and the thermal stresses in the system were evaluated to determine attachment lifetime of the sensors. The encapsulated sensors' signals were collected before and after plasma spraying and at elevated temperatures. The material properties of the deposits were evaluated by electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, scratch testing, thermal fatigue testing, and nanoindentation. The thermal stresses were evaluated by Raman spectroscopy and from finite element analysis in COMSOL® Multiphysics®. Several of the sensors broke during encapsulation due to the plasma spray processing conditions and the signals experienced distortion at elevated temperatures. The sensors can be treated to remove this interference to allow for this deposit attachment. The nickel based alloy's ductility and lamellar microstructure allowed for non catastrophic relaxation mechanisms to relieve induced thermal stresses. The yttria stabilized zirconia failed catastrophically at elevated temperatures due its lack of compliance to mismatches in thermal expansion. A high melting point metallic deposit, similar to the nickel based alloy, is desirable for fiber optic sensor attachment due to its ductility, thermal expansion, and dominant relaxation mechanisms. The processing conditions may need to be optimized to allow for the sensors' protection during encapsulation. / Master of Science

In this thesis, the optical communication systems for millimeter-scale sensing and communication devises known as "Smart Dust" are described and analyzed. A smart dust element is a self-contained sensing and communication system that can be combined into roughly a cubic-millimeter mote to perform integrated, massively distributed sensor networks. The suitable passive optical and fiber-optic communication systems will be selected for the further performance design and analysis based on the requirements for implementing these systems. Based on the communication link designs of the free-space passive optical and fiber-optic communication systems, the simulations for link performance will be performed. / Master of Science

Gas Sensing Has Become a Very Important and Attractive Technique Because of Its Various Applications, Such as in the Increasingly Concerning Case of Environmental Issues, Automobile Emission Detection, Natural Gas Leakage Detection, Etc. It Also Has Significant Applications in Industries, Such as Safety and Health Monitoring in Underground Mines. Among Those Sensing Areas, Fiber-optic Sensors Have Drawn Considerable Attention Because of Its Small Size, Light Weight, High Sensitivity, and Remote Sensing Capability. However, Current Fiber-optic Gas Sensing Techniques Have Several Limitations on Their Potential for Multiplexed or Distributed Sensing Due to Difficulties Such as High Complexity or Large Loss. To Accomplish the Goal for Multiplexed Gas Sensing, an Off-centered Core Fiber Design Is Investigated. The Eccentric Core Can Reduce Attenuation, Keep Mechanical Strength, and Lower Fabrication Cost. To Verify the Feasibility of the Design, Fiber Field Distribution Is First Studied in Simulation, Which Will Be Discussed in Detail in Chapter 2. Then Two Fiber Samples with a Length of 10 Cm and 40 Cm Are Prepared and Placed in a Custom Methane Sensing System for Gas Absorption Testing, Which Is Detailed in Chapter 3. From Etching Analysis, Localized Surface Defects Are Found as the Main Reason for Power Loss. Performance Such as Detection Resolution and Sensitivity Are Investigated. In Chapter 4, Theoretical Evaluations Have Been Conducted for Multiplexed Sensors Performances Using the Off-centered Core Fiber to Study the Impact Fiber Parameters on Sensing System Design. The Conclusion and Summary Are Presented in Chapter 5. / Master of Science / Gas Sensing Has Become a Very Important and Attractive Technique Because of Its Various Applications, Such as in the Increasingly Concerning Case of Environmental Issues, Automobile Emission Detection, Natural Gas Leakage Detection, Etc. It Also Has Significant Applications in Industries, Such as Safety and Health Monitoring in Underground Mines. Among Those Sensing Areas, Fiber-optic Sensors Have Drawn Considerable Attention Because of Its Small Size, Light Weight, High Sensitivity, and Remote Sensing Capability. However, Current Fiber-optic Gas Sensing Techniques Have Several Limitations on Their Potential for Long Distance Distributed Sensing Due to Difficulties Such as High Fabrication Complexity. In This Work, a Fiber-optic Gas Sensor with Special Structure Was Designed. The Sensor Can Reduce Attenuation, Keep Mechanical Strength, and Lower Fabrication Cost. To Verify the Feasibility of the Design, Theory Analysis and Simulation Were Conducted, Which Will Be Discussed in Detail in Chapter 2. Then Two Samples with a Length of 10 Cm and 40 Cm Were Prepared and Placed in a Custom Methane Sensing System for Testing. And Their Performance Such as Sensitivity Is Investigated. In Chapter 4, Theoretical Evaluations Have Been Conducted for Multiplexed Sensors Performances Evaluation to Study the Impact Fiber Parameters on Sensing System Design. The Conclusion and Summary Are Presented in Chapter 5.

DNA detection technology has developed rapidly due to its extensive application in clinical diagnostics, bioengineering, environmental monitoring, and food science areas. Currently developed methods such as surface Plasmon resonance (SPR) methods, fluorescent dye labeled methods and electrochemical methods, usually have the problems of bulky size, high equipment cost and time-consuming algorithms, so limiting their application for in vivo detection. In this work, an intrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric (IFPI) based DNA sensor is presented with the intrinsic advantages of small size, low cost and corrosion-tolerance. This sensor has experimentally demonstrated its high sensitivity and selectivity. In theory, DNA detection is realized by interrogating the sensor's optical cavity length variation resulting from hybridization event. First, a microgap structure based IFPI sensor is fabricated with simple etching and splicing technology. Subsequently, considering the sugar phosphate backbone of DNA, layer-by-layer electrostatic self-assembly technique is adopted to attach the single strand capture DNA to the sensor endface. When the target DNA strand binds to the single-stranded DNA successfully, the optical cavity length of sensor will be increased. Finally, by demodulating the sensor spectrum, DNA hybridization event can be judged qualitatively. This sensor can realize DNA detection without attached label, which save the experiment expense and time. Also the hybridization detection is finished within a few minutes. This quick response feature makes it more attractive in diagnose application. Since the sensitivity and specificity are the most widely used statistics to describe a diagnostic test, so these characteristics are used to evaluate this biosensor. Experimental results demonstrate that this sensor has a sensitivity of 6nmol/ml and can identify a 2 bp mismatch. Since this sensor is optical fiber based, it has robust structure and small size ( 125μm ). If extra etching process is applied to the sensor, the size can be further reduced. This promises the sensor potential application of in-cell detection. Further investigation can be focused on the nanofabrication of this DNA sensor, and this is very meaningful topic not only for diagnostic test but also in many other applications such as food industry, environment monitoring. / Master of Science

This dissertation reports the development of two new categories of optical fibers. These are the Random Hole Optical Fiber (RHOF) and the Crucible Technique Hybrid Fiber (CTF). The RHOF is a new class of microstructure fiber which possesses air holes which vary in diameter and location along the length of the fiber. Unlike all prior microstructure fibers, these RHOF do not have continuous air holes which extend throughout the fiber. The CTF is a method for incorporating glasses with vastly differing thermal properties into a single optical fiber. Each of these two classes of fiber brings a new set of optical characteristics into being. The RHOF exhibit many of the same guidance properties as the previously researched microstructure fibers, such as reduced mode counts in a large area core. CTF fibers show great promise for integrating core materials with extremely high levels of nonlinearity or gain. The initial goal of this work was to combine the two techniques to form a fiber with exceedingly high efficiency of nonlinear interactions. Numerous methods have been endeavored in the attempt to achieve the fabrication of the RHOF. Some of the methods include the use of sol-gel glass, microbubbles, various silica powders, and silica powders with the incorporation of gas producing agents. Through careful balancing of the competing forces of surface tension and internal pressure it has been possible to produce an optical fiber which guides light successfully. The optical loss of these fibers depends strongly on the geometrical arrangement of the air holes. Fibers with a higher number of smaller holes possess a markedly lower attenuation. RHOF also possess, to at least some degree the reduced mode number which has been extensively reported in the past for ordered hole fibers. Remarkably, the RHOF are also inherently pressure sensitive. When force is applied to an RHOF either isotropically, or on an axis perpendicular to the length of the fiber, a wavelength dependent loss is observed. This loss does not come with a corresponding response to temperature, rendering the RHOF highly anomalous in the area of fiber optic sensing techniques. Furthermore an ordered hole fiber was also tested to determine that this was not merely a hitherto undisclosed property of all microstructure fibers. Crucible technique fibers have also been fabricated by constructing an extremely thick walled silica tube, which is sealed at the bottom. A piece of the glass that is desired for the core (such as Lead Indium Phosphate) is inserted into the hole which is in the center of the tube. The preform is then drawn on an fiber draw tower, resulting in a fiber with a core consisting of a material which has a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) or a melting temperature (Tm) which is not commonly compatible with those of silica. / Ph. D.

The extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer (EFPI) has been extensively used as a strain sensor in various applications. However, like other interferometric sensors, the EFPI suffers from ambiguity in detecting directional changes of the applied perturbation, when the operating point is at a maxima or a minima on the transfer function curve. Different methods, or sensor configurations have been proposed to solve this problem. This thesis investigates the use of dual wavelength interferometry to overcome this limitation. Possible systems configurations based on dual wavelength interferometry were considered, and the comprehensive design and implementation of a dual laser time division multiplexed (TOM) system based is presented. The system operates by alternately pulse modulating two laser diodes, which are closely spaced in center wavelength. Although the strain rate measurement capability of the system is dependent primarily on the speed of its hardware and the accuracy of its software, it is shown that it can be considerably enhanced by employing digital signal processing techniques. / Master of Science

A majority of underground coal mine disasters in the United States are due to explosions. Current atmospheric monitoring system (AMS) practices in the US could be enhanced to facilitate data sharing and learning of the entire work force. With the inclusion of additional atmospheric monitoring and data collecting, meaningful analysis can be realized and shared with the workforce. AMS data can be utilized to advance the understanding of underground atmospheres for the entire workforce along with adding to the knowledge base for preventative planning. An AMS interface ADAMAS is suggested to facilitate this conglomeration and sharing of the data visually, so that it can be quickly processed and applied in their daily decisions. An emerging sensor technology for underground mining, fiber optics is explored and tested in emergency, or fire and explosion situations. The fiber optic methane sensor performed well in smoke only showing a slow in response time due to soot on the filter. The ADAMAS interface was tested in a large population of underground coal miners. The population varied in age, job, classification, and experience. They all primarily found it to be easy to use and helpful to them. Concerns arose when asked how this will facilitate an improved relationship with regulatory agencies. There is trepidation when it comes to additional atmospheric information sharing, that it may not be used advance understanding of mine atmospheres. The AMS data collected is individual to each mine site but can assist in the understanding of underground atmosphere as a whole. Moving forward, regulatory bodies should use this as a stepping point to consider how this information can be used to advance the field of mine ventilation and also the health and safety of the miner. / Ph. D. / Many accidents in underground coal mines in the United States are due to explosions. Explosions occur when there is a spark created in an atmosphere that contains an explosive mixture of methane and oxygen. Current monitoring in the United States standardly follows what regulators stipulate. It is suggested and tested that we use additional atmospheric monitors, including fiber optic technology, to monitor the atmosphere, trend the data and share it with the mining workforce. Shown is current trends for atmospheric monitoring systems (AMS) and out suggestion for increased monitoring and using an interface called ADAMAS for trending and sharing data visually in graphs and locations on maps. A novel sensing technology a fiber optic methane sensor was also tested in smoke conditions for its applicability in underground mines during an emergency. Both the interface and the fiber optic sensor were successful in testing. Miners found the interface easy to use and informative. The fiber optic sensor was successful sensing methane even in smoke environments although the response time of the sensor decreased.

This thesis discusses small size intercom networks. It is intended for, but not limited to, the use of optical fibre as the interconnecting medium. / Thesis / Master of Engineering (ME)