Draw Tower Gratings (DTGs) are high strength coated FBGs that can be used as a single sensor or in series as part of an array of FBG sensors. Thanks to the special production process, writing the Fibre Bragg Gratings during the drawing of the fiber, DTGs provide unique properties for sensing applications:
- Draw Tower Gratings show extremely high mechanical strength compared to conventional produced gratings and have as a consequence unique properties for sensing applications.
- The Draw Tower Grating technology allows to produce spliceless grating chains with a high number of sensor elements. The spatial distance between the gratings can vary from about 10 mm up to several meters or more.
- The coating that is applied on the DTGs is an Organic Modified Ceramic (ORMOCER®). This coating shows excellent adhesion properties to the fibre glass, which makes DTGs directly applicable for fixation on structures without coating removal. This does not only facilitate the installation process, but also increases the reliability.
The ORMOCER® coating can whitstand temperatures between -180 and +200°C .
DTGs are fabricated using an automated production process. This process allows to control the production parameters very accurately and assures high repeatability and quality.
