Embedded optical sensing systems

The measurement of temperature and strain fields is critical across various industrial applications, underscoring the need for precise monitoring and mapping. Over the past half-century, optical fiber sensors (OFS) have become indispensable due to their many advantages, such as compact size, immunity to electromagnetic interference, and high sensitivity. Proper packaging is essential for integrating OFS into diverse applications, and recent research has focused on embedding these sensors into various materials to enhance their utility and performance. This paper investigates several embedded sensing systems that utilize Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry (OFDR) distributed optical fiber sensors. Materials such as elastomer, 3D-printed composites, high-temperature thin films, and soft silicon were evaluated for their suitability. Preliminary calibration tests were conducted to assess the performance of the different embedded systems, demonstrating the capability and effectiveness of distributed embedded optical sensing systems.