Structural Optimization and Temperature Compensation of GMM-FBG Fiber Current Transducer

In order to improve the sensitivity and accuracy of the giant magnetostrictive material-fiber Bragg gratings’ (GMM-FBG) current sensor, in which the magnetostrictive modulator is Terfenol-D, the temperature effects on the FBG center wavelength and GMM magnetostriction coefficient are investigated to initiate an amending scheme in which temperature parameters are introduced into a GMM-FBG sensing model so as to calibrate current values. Based on electromagnetism theory, the magnetic structure is optimized in design to significantly increase the magnetic coupling efficiency and to homogenize magnetic distribution, employing finite element simulations of the electromagnetic field. The relevant experimental platform is constructed with a wavelength demodulation system. At the temperature range of 20~70 °C, response amplitudes of the current sensor are tested under various current values. The experimental results indicate that the sensitivity of the GMM-FBG current sensor decreases with the temperature increment and is also positively correlated to the target current. Through analyzing the response characteristics of the current sensor to temperature variation, a reasonable GMM-FBG sensing amelioration model with a temperature compensation coefficient is established based on a mathematical fitting method, according to which the current detecting accuracy can be increased by 4.8% while measuring 60 A current at the representative working temperature of 40 °C.