Simulation modeling of fiber optic sensor subsystem for force and temperature measurement embedded in composite materials

Abstract

Despite the extensive body of research on fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, embedding FBGs into composite materials still leaves an important challenge unresolved: improving model accuracy while preserving sensitivity under coupled thermo-mechanical loading. In this work, an integrated mathematical model of an FBG-based fiber-optic sensing subsystem is developed and implemented in MATLAB/Simulink, enabling simultaneous estimation of mechanical action (pressure/strain) and temperature from the Bragg-wavelength shift while explicitly accounting for optical, mechanical, and thermal parameters of the composite host. The model combines Bragg-wavelength shift computation with strain-optic and thermo-optic contributions, a composite stress–strain transfer that maps external pressure to axial fiber strain, transient heat transfer to the grating region, and synthesis of the reflected spectrum and optical power profile for interrogation. A calibration-based decoupling stage is included to separate thermal and mechanical components, and the Simulink workflow supports parameter sweeps and uncertainty analysis. Model outputs agree with reference/experimental data, with a discrepancy not exceeding 4% across the considered operating range. Simulations indicate a pressure sensitivity of 5–15 pm/kPa, a refractive-index sensitivity of up to 500 nm/RIU, and a tunable spectral range of 1530–1570 nm, while remaining stable under simultaneous pressure and temperature variations. The proposed model serves as a practical digital prototype for embedded FBG sensing and supports design optimization, compensation-strategy development, and structural health monitoring scenario evaluation.

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