COMPARISON OF FIBER OPTIC AND CONVENTIONAL SENSORS FOR NAVAL APPLICATIONS

Over the past three years the Carderock Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center (CDNSWC), under the auspices of the Naval Sea Systems C ommand (NAVSEA), has investigated the possibility of replacing convent ional Hull, Mechanical and Electrical (HM&E) sensors with their fiber optic counterpart. The goal of the Navy in this effort is to provide t he shipbuilder with specifications for fiber optic sensors that, as a minimum, meet the current performance level of conventional sensors an d decrease life cycle costs. The approach of this effort has been to i nvestigate commercially available sensors and write specifications tha t incorporate the Navy's needs and industry's capabilities. In order t o accomplish this task, a comparison of conventional versus fiber opti c sensors was conducted. This paper describes the work performed as we ll as the anticipated future of fiber optic technology in each of the sensing areas.