The objective of the proposed research program is the development and demonstration of adaptable vibration analysis sensors which use specialized weighted-sensitivity optical fiber waveguide structures. Several methods to create the necessary sensitivity variations along the length of the waveguide are suggested, based in part upon prior published research of the principal investigators and Fiber & Sensor Technologies, Inc. Extensions of this work to further permit the realtime modification of such spatial fiber sensitivity profiles, and hence the in-line optical signal processing of integrated sensor signals, will also be investigated. Applications of sensor instrumentation products which would use such adaptive, weighted fiber elements include vibration analysis systems for noise suppression, active structural acoustic control, and structural damage monitoring. Additional uses in adaptive electromagnetic detection arrays for both the communication and biomedical diagnostics areas seem possible. Fiber & Sensor Technologies will with cooperation from the Fiber & ElectroOptics Research Center at Virginia Tech to model, fabricate and test the performance of weighted sensitivity fibers for selective vibrational mode analysis of laboratory demonstration articles during the proposed Phase I project.
