Patent ID: 8111952

Claim:
A strain sensing cable comprising: a sub-assembly; at least one optical fiber within the sub-assembly; and a metallic coating which encases the sub-assembly, wherein the metallic coating is strain coupled to the at least one optical fiber along an entire length of the at least one optical fiber by a friction coupling force such that strain is translated from the metallic coating to any point along the entire length of the at least one optical fiber, wherein an outer diameter of the sub-assembly is greater than an inside diameter of the metallic coating, and the sub-assembly is compressed so as to fit within the metallic coating such that the metallic coating is strain coupled to the at least one optical fiber by the friction coupling force induced by the compression and such that strain is translated from the metallic coating to the at least one optical fiber at any point along the entire length of the at least one optical fiber, and wherein the strain coupling of the metallic coating and the at least one optical fiber is constantly maintained by the friction coupling force.