An Electroplating Method for Surface Mounting Optical Fiber Sensors on the Metal Substrate

An electroplating method for surface mounting fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) on metal structures is presented. A process to electrolytically embed fiber sensors on the metal surface is elaborated. In addition, the mechanical property of the joint is investigated and the interface of the joint is studied. The temperature sensing characteristics as well as the failure temperature of the surface mounted FBGs are systematically studied. Results of the sensing tests show that the central wavelength keeps linear relationship with the temperature change and the temperature sensitivity is 30.7 pm/degrees C. The surface mounted FBG shows a similar response sensitivity to the transient temperature change to that of bare FBG. Furthermore, the failure temperature of the surface mounted FBG is tested, which is similar to 900 degrees C.