Assessment of an LPG mPOF for Strain Sensing

We demonstrate the feasibility of long-period gratings (LPGs) written in microstructured polymer optical fibers (mPOFs) for detecting and measuring the strain rate and magnitude of engineering structures. We validate and compare the results of our experimental tests to a commercial fiber Bragg grating sensor. The encouraging results open the way to the use of LPG mPOF sensors in structural health monitoring applications.