Researcher Yoany Rodríguez García, a professor and engineer in Telecommunications and Electronics at the University of Pinar del Río (Cuba), has conducted research on fiber optic-based sensor devices at the Public University of Navarra.
Together with members of this university, he has created sensors that measure physical and chemical parameters used in industrial applications. The details of the study have been published in journals such as the Journal of Applied Polymer Science and the International Journal of Circuit Theory and Applications.
In the first part of the work, which stemmed from a doctoral thesis, vibration measurements were taken, which are crucial for the predictive maintenance of all types of rotating machinery, especially large electrical machines.
Subsequently, the various sensors for industrial use were designed, simulated, manufactured, and characterized.
“Since the objective was to obtain sensors for this application, modifications were introduced during the optimization process to improve the sensitivity of the proposed vibration sensors,” Rodríguez explains.
Additionally, fiber optic sensors have been proposed to measure chemical parameters, particularly humidity and pH. To this end, sensors treated with nanometer-thick films sensitive to changes in these two parameters were used.
According to the author, the results obtained “allow us to define the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed new sensors, thus making a theoretical and practical contribution to the study of sensing physicochemical parameters with fiber optic sensors.”
Bibliographic reference:
Aitor Urrutia, Pedro J. Rivero, Javier Goicoechea, Yoany Rodriguez, Francisco J. Arregui, Ignacio R. Matias. “An antibacterial sub-micron fiber mat with in-situ synthesized silver nanoparticles.” Journal of Applied Polymer Science 126-4: 1228–1235, November 2012. This research stems from the doctoral thesis “Contribution to the development of sensors using optical fiber and nanostructures” by Yoany Rodríguez García.