Fiber optic sensor for detecting chemical changes in materials.

摘要

A fiber optic sensor for detecting chemical changes in materials within a material includes an optical fiber (13) having a relatively short unclad sensor section for embedding in a material (11), a source (23) of infrared radiation to direct infrared radiation into the fiber, and an optical decoder (21) connected to the fiber to detect the spectrum of infrared radiation absorbed by the material in which the sensor section is embedded.