A novel optical fiber sensor for the measurement of strain and temperature in graphite-epoxy composite materials using differential interferometry is described. The sensor uses two single-mode optical fiber waveguides imbedded within the composite during prepreg ply lay-up. Strain and temperature changes arc obtained as a motion of an optical interference pattern. Values arc calculated for the strain and temperature dependence of the fringe motion. The results of measurement which attempt to duplicate modeled loading conditions are reported and compared with analytical results. Analytical and experimental extensions of the technique to the measurement of the differential temperature in graphite-epoxy composite specimens during cure cycle processing are also considered. / M.S.

Axial strain effects in multimode fibers are studied. A few-mode fiber is mounted on a tensile testing machine and strained at various speeds. The output of a monochromatic light source passing through it is monitored and recorded. Relations are noted between the light output the magnitude of tension and the rate of the applied axial strain. Flexural behavior of the optical fiber at various tensions is also studied by monitoring the modal output pattern. Relations are compiled to serve as a beginning to model these and other related modal effects. A theoretical background is also suggested to explain the observed effects. / Master of Science

Refractive index discontinuities in fiber optic transmission systems are known to cause deleterious effects. Non-negligible return losses associated with connectors and splices in present day systems cause intermittent error bursts and bit-error-rate floors in gigabit per second systems. These are attributed to the interferometric conversion of laser phase noise into signal-dependent intensity noise. This relative intensity noise (RIN) is substantially higher than the intrinsic RIN of the laser. The power spectral density of the RIN and its impact on the performance of incoherent on-off keying digital systems are calculated. The combined effects of this noise and other degradations present in the system are studied using a simple model. It is shown that even though RIN is a bounded degradation, it, particularly in conjunction with other impairments, results in high and sometimes unacceptable power penalties. Previous analyses are extended to include the effects of multiple reflections from a single pair of reflectors, the effects of a multiplicity of reflection points and the combined effects of reflection-induced noise and other impairments. It is shown that the effect of multiple reflections, although having only a small influence on the reflection induced noise power, changes the distribution of the noise and has more serious system effects. In the case of a multiplicity of reflection points it is shown that for as few as four reflection points, the Gaussian approximation gives results in good agreement with results calculated from a Gram-Charlier series approximation to the actual distribution function. Power penalties as a function of reflection coefficient are calculated and compared using several different approximations for the distribution of the interferometric noise. The methodology presented, although applied specifically to reflection induced noise, is applicable to a broader class of problems in which there are other signal dependent noise phenomena. / Master of Science

Changes in heat content are almost universally associated with chemical reactions. Thermometry as an analytical tool has been extensively researched and developed. Finding solutions to problems involving thermal isolation, specificity, sensitivity, and cross-sensitivity remain as active areas of interest. Fiberoptic interferometers, which use phase phenomena associated with propagating light, are extremely sensitive to heat. This research has focused on a special "birefringent" optical fiber. Two channels of information are generated in this single-fiber interferometer which correspond to the heat evolved from a catalytic reaction isolated on the fiber surface. Because of the unique transduction mechanism associated with the "birefringent" optical fiber, this device is sensitive to heat and remarkably insensitive to pressure. Details of the characterization and development of the birefringent optical fiber into a useful analytical probe are presented. / Ph. D.

Computational thermo-fluid models of a free surface flow under the dominant radiative transfer have been developed for the design and control of a modern optic fiber drawing process. Although modeling of the fiber drawing process has been of interest for the past three decades, most of the previous studies were limited to low draw speeds and small preforms. Large preforms drawn at high speeds have been used in modern fiber drawing systems to improve production efficiency and reduce cost. Several assumptions commonly made in previous studies have to be relaxed to address the new challenges. In this study, instead of using the Rosseland approximation, the radiative transfer equation (RTE) was solved directly for the radiation fluxes using the finite volume method (FVM). The complete two-dimensional free surface flow was simulated along with the coupling of the radiative transfer. Unlike most of the previous studies that only considered the furnace domain and that assumed the glass velocity at the exit, we included the post-chamber in the computation domain and predicted the fiber solidification location. Furthermore, the mixed convection of the air in the post-chamber was also considered, and was shown to have significant effects on the fiber solidification. On the basis of the computational model, a reduced order model (ROM) was developed for a mixed HŁ /LQG controller designed to regulate the fiber diameter under the effects of disturbances. The ROM was derived on the basis of the computational model. Optimal numerical eigenfunctions were obtained through the Karhunen-Loeve expansion using the computational model. The GalerkinŁ s method was then applied to obtain the state space ROM. The numerical model was shown to be efficient and was verified experimentally. The ROM characterizes the dynamics of the system accurately as compared with the computational model. The simulations using the full computational model showed that the closed-loop system is robust and superior to the open-loop system in the regulation of fiber diameter. The modeling and control methods can be applied to the design optimization and parameter regulation of the high-speed large-preform draw processes as well as other manufacturing processes that involve similar thermal-fluid transports.

Interferometer Fiber Optic Gyroscope (IFOG) has established as critical sensor for advance navigation systems. Sensor coil is known to be heart of IFOG. The bias drift and scale factor performance of IFOG depend on the sensor coil. The environmental perturbations like vibration, shock, temperature and magnetic field can affect the measured phase difference between the counter propagating beams, thereby introducing a bias error resulting in degradation of IFOG performance. In general these factors are both time varying and unevenly distributed throughout the coil producing a net undesirable phase shift due to variations in the optical light path, which is undistinguishable from the rotation induced signal. The development of sensor coil for high performance includes selection of optical fiber, spool material, coil winding technique and potting adhesive. In the thesis, the effects of various perturbations like temperature, vibration and magnetic field on the sensor coil are analysed, which degrades the gyro performance. The effect of temperature and vibration can be reduced by proper selection of spool material, winding method and by applying adhesive during the winding of sensor coil. The effect of magnetic field can be reduced by using the high birefringence polarization maintaining fiber with shorter beat length, shielding the sensor coil and reducing the number of twist during the winding. Design and fabrication of the sensor coil is done for control grade & navigation grade FOG with fiber length of 100 m and 1000 m respectively with the polarization maintaining fiber of two different manufacturer Fiber Core, UK and Nufern, USA selected based upon the beat length and Numerical Aperture so that sensor coil has minimum effect of magnetic field and the bending of fiber. Presently the spool material used is Aluminium alloy (HE15) for the ease of fabrication and easily availability of material. The Quadrupolar winding is done to reduce the thermal gradient effects. The indigenously developed special adhesive is applied layer by layer to reduce the environmental effects. In order to study the lifetime of sensor coil accelerated aging test (85°C, RH 85 %) for 30 days is also carried out.

This dissertation presents the fabrication and analysis of in-fiber devices based on elliptical core D-shaped optical fiber. Devices created inside optical fibers are attractive for a variety of reasons including low loss, high efficiency, self-alignment, light weight, multiplexibility, and resistance to electromagnetic interference. This work details how D-fiber can be used as a platform for a variety of devices and describes the creation and performance of two of these devices: an in-fiber polymer waveguide and a surface relief fiber Bragg grating. In D-fiber the core is very close to the flat side of the ‘D’ shape. This proximity allows access to the fields in the fiber core by removal of the cladding above the core. The D-fiber we use also has an elliptical core, allowing for the creation of polarimetric devices. This work describes two different etch processes using hydrofluoric acid (HF) to remove the fiber cladding and core. For the creation of devices in the fiber core, the core is partially removed and replaced with another material possessing the required optical properties. For devices which interact with the evanescent field, cladding removal is terminated before acid breaches the core. Etching fibers prepares them for use in the creation of in-fiber devices. Materials are placed into the groove left when the core of a fiber is partially removed to form a hybrid waveguide in which light is guided by both the leftover core and the inserted material. These in-fiber polymer waveguides have insertion loss less than 2 dB and can potentially be the basis for a number of electro-optic devices or sensors. A polarimetric temperature sensor demonstrates the feasibility of the core replacement method. This work also describes the creation of a surface relief fiber Bragg gratings (SR-FBGs) in the cladding above the core of the fiber. Because it is etched into the surface topography of the fiber, a SR-FBG can operate at much higher temperatures than a standard FBG, up to at least 1100 degrees Celsius. The performance of a SR-FBG is demonstrated in temperature sensing at high temperatures, and as a strain sensor.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 25-28, 1993 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / With the advent of high-speed parallel-to-serial conversion interface standards reaching the 1.6 gigabit per second region, it is now possible to remote entire telemetry tracking systems over long distances without the need to maintain receivers, combiners, computers and antenna control units at the pedestal. In addition, it will soon be possible to digitize the RF signal(s) with high-speed flash-video analog-to-digital converters and transfer the data over these same links. This coupled with the improvements in fiber-optic L.E.D. and laser transmitters/ receivers and the constantly decreasing cost of fiber-optic cable, will allow for the eventual elimination of copper cabling for these interfaces. This will net a cost savings for the end user, provide for easier installations and increase the reliability of the overall system. This paper gives a brief history of the development of high-speed fiber-optic interface links, then expands into current interface standards and their utilization (such as MIL-STD-1553B, fiber data distributed interface (FDDI), HIPPI, etc.). Finally, a glimpse into the future of telemetry systems and the possibilities to soon be realized as major manufacturers of fiber-optic interfaces push well into the gigabit region. Topics include: • Replacement of existing copper cables between controller and pedestal using fiber-optic cable with interfaces that are not software-based intensive (black boxes); • Multiplexing pedestal control and status lines, RF feed commands, scan reference signals, and boresite video camera control; • Connecting and controlling multiple controllers and/or pedestals through one common interface cable; • Operating multiple tracking stations through one remote antenna controller; • Digitized RF telemetry signals sent along with pedestal, feed, video commands and status.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 25-28, 1999 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / Due to Cost and Safety considerations the Range Division of the 412th Test Wing is upgrading remote telemetry (TM) antenna sites to be operated and monitored remotely. This is possible, in part, due to the installation of fiber optic cable, and the use of ATM communications protocol. Both of these applications significantly reduce signal latency from the remote control station located at Ridley Mission Control Center (RMCC) and the Antenna site. This paper discusses the challenges associated with controlling these sophisticated systems remotely. We will also describe the decisions and how they were made, the concerns over system performance, and the impact to other systems. This paper also addresses the technologies chosen to support the requirements and overcome the challenges. The benefits of remote range sensors are also discussed. We will provide top-level block diagrams of the system architecture.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / November 04-07, 1991 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / Various high performance fiber optic networks have been in existence and available now for over 10 years. Virtually all of them, until recently, have been designed around the “better idea” of some single company or engineer, and therefore were or became expensive, proprietary systems, with limited support, and limited or no growth potential. Many benefits were still realized by the users in spite of that; primarily in the areas of increased bandwidth, improved security, and the capability to have data transmission over long distances. However, after 5 years of continued development and refinement, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) X3T9.5 committee has nearly completed acceptance and final approval of the Fiber Data Distributed Interface (FDDI) specifications. The new FDDI standards have already evidenced a tremendous and eager acceptance by the end user community, and are clearly destined to replace Ethernet as the most prevalent network media. FDDI also offers additional benefits specifically of interest to the telemetry market, and therefore represents an ideal Local Area Network (LAN) technology towards which any TM installation should migrate.