1. Instrumented Flexible Glass Structure: A Bragg Grating Inscribed with Femtosecond Laser Used as a Bending Sensor
- Author
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Loïc Amez-Droz, Matéo Tunon de Lara, Christophe Collette, Christophe Caucheteur, and Pierre Lambert
- Subjects
compliant mechanism ,fused silica ,femtosecond laser ,Bragg grating sensor ,Chemical technology ,TP1-1185 - Abstract
Fused silica glass is a material with outstanding mechanical, thermal and optical properties. Being a brittle material, it is challenging to shape. In the last decade, the manufacturing of monolithic flexible mechanisms in fused silica has evolved with the femtosecond-laser-assisted etching process. However, instrumenting those structures is demanding. To address this obstacle, this article proposes to inscribe a Bragg Grating sensor inside a flexure and interface it with an optical fibre to record the strain using a spectrum analyser. The strain sensitivity of this Bragg Grating sensor is characterized at 1.2 pm/μϵ (1 μϵ = 1 microstrain). Among other applications, deformation sensing can be used to record a force. Its use as a micro-force sensor is estimated. The sensor resolution is limited by our recording equipment to 30 μN over a measurement range above 10 mN. This technology can offer opportunities for surgery applications or others where precision and stability in harsh environments are required.
- Published
- 2023
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