Research on Michelson interferometric fiber accelerometer based on push–pull structure

Acceleration measurement plays a significant role in various fields, such as resource exploration, national defense and military affairs, safety production, and disaster prevention and mitigation. In response to the current problems of low sensitivity and poor lateral anti-interference ability of optical fiber acceleration sensors, a Michelson interference type optical fiber acceleration sensor based on push-pull structure is proposed. First, a push-pull structure sensor model is established and its theoretical analysis is conducted; second, the sensor is analyzed for static stress and modal analysis using the ANSYS Workbench; and finally, the sensor prototype is fabricated and a sensing system is built, and its performance is tested through a vibration testing system. The results show that the sensor's natural frequency is 72 Hz, the sensitivity is 51.58 dB (re: 0 dB = 1 rad/g), the linearity is 99.68%, and the lateral anti-interference degree reaches 221 227.74 dB (re: 0 dB = 1 rad/g). Compared with existing similar sensors, its lateral interference resistance has increased by ∼10.8% and its sensitivity has been significantly enhanced. The research results provide a reference for the development of Michelson interference type optical fiber acceleration sensors.