Abstract

The sensitivity of polarimetric sensors embedded in different types of composite materials is investigated in this paper. Polarimetric fiber sensors based on PM-Panda fiber and PM-PCF fiber are included in this comparison. The three types of composite materials used for comparison study are carbon-epoxy, E glass-epoxy, E glass-unsaturated polyester resin composite material samples. Such a comparison of sensitivity of embedded polarimetric sensors has not been previously presented and we believe that this comparison study will provide useful insights into the compatibility of polarimetric fiber sensors with different types of composite materials. The particular composite samples chosen for the study are very popular in many industrial applications and thus the work is highly relevant to smart structure applications. In addition, characterisation of the sensitivity is essential for the development of a demodulation system for such sensors.

© 2012 Optical Society of America