Distributed dynamic strain measurement using optical frequency-domain reflectometry

Distributed dynamic strain measurement based on optical frequency-domain reflectometry is proposed. The technique makes use of the wide scanning range of a tunable laser source in a short sweeping time, and subdivides the overall spectrum into narrower frequency windows. The advantage of subdividing the laser spectral range is to improve the measurement uncertainty induced by the laser wavelength difference between repeated scans. The noise-limited dynamic strain resolution is investigated experimentally, indicating that a minimum detectable strain is less than 200 nε for a spatial resolution of 20 cm. By measuring the subdivided spectral shifts in the time sequence along the sensing fiber, the dynamic strain can be properly quantified over a 30 m measurement range for a highest sampling rate of up to 50 Hz.