Design and Modeling of a High Sensitivity Fiber Bragg Grating-Based Accelerometer

Use of a detailed theoretical model has allowed the optimization of the design of a high sensitivity accelerometer, based on a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) and an accelerometer based on this design has been demonstrated experimentally. With a universal model based on double-point encapsulation established, the performance of the device in terms of its optimal sensitivity and frequency distribution has been analyzed, with an optimization `figure of merit' using the product of the sensitivity and the resonant frequency being presented. The experimental results obtained indicate that the FBG-based accelerometer thus developed shows a broad, flat frequency band, a corresponding flat range sensitivity of~152.0pm/G, a resonant frequency of 441.0Hz, and a cross-axis sensitivity of less than 3.6% of the main-axis sensitivity. An accelerometer of this type and with this performance thus has the potential for the important field of low frequency oil-gas seismic exploration.