Reflection-Based Optical Fiber Strain Sensor Using Polarization Maintaining and Thin Core Fibers

A strain fiber optic sensor is proposed and experimentally demonstrated in this letter. The sensor operates in reflection mode, and its assembly relies on a single splice point between a thin core fiber and polarization-maintaining fiber. The system offers competitive sensitivities of 14.68 and 6.9 pm/ $\mu \varepsilon $ , determined by the PM-fiber length. In addition, the one-way ANOVA analysis indicates a minimal error (MSE=0.34) and low probability of measurement overlap ( $\text {Prob}>\text {F}= 5.59882\times 10^{-85}$ ). The fabrication, the sensor dimensions, and the statistical analysis make the proposed sensor an attractive alternative for monitoring strain.