Patent ID: 8327716
Filing Date: 2012-12-11
Classification: G01B,G01L,G02B,Y10T

Abstract:
1. An optical strain gage comprising: an optical waveguide including a bare optical fiber portion that has no cladding thereon and that includes a sensing section with a Bragg grating incorporated in said sensing section; a first fastening element that is arranged at a first end of said sensing section displaced away from said Bragg grating, and that surrounds and engages said bare optical fiber portion in a force-transmitting manner at said first end, such that forces applied to said first fastening element are coupled through said first fastening element into said bare optical fiber portion at said first end; a second fastening element that is arranged at a second end of said sensing section displaced away from said Bragg grating, and that surrounds and engages said bare optical fiber portion in a force-transmitting manner at said second end, such that forces applied to said second fastening element are coupled through said second fastening element into said bare optical fiber portion at said second end; and an elastic fixing material that form-fittingly surrounds said sensing section of said bare optical fiber portion between said first and second ends and fills a space between said first and second fastening elements around said sensing section; wherein each one of said fastening elements respectively comprises at least two fastening strips of a hard adhesive plastic, which are stacked and adhesively bonded on top of one another, with said bare optical fiber portion received and adhesively bonded between said fastening strips; and wherein said elastic fixing material is relatively soft compared to said hard adhesive plastic of said fastening elements, and mechanically isolates said sensing section from external forces between said fastening elements.