Abstract
Interferometric fiber-optic gyroscopes exhibit time-dependent rate error
patterns during operation due to environmental stress on the fiber coil. Short-term
errors, equilibrating on the order of minutes to several hours, are attributed
to nonreciprocity due to thermal gradients. Long-term rate errors, equilibrating
on the order of days to weeks, have not been thoroughly addressed. In this
study, we show that diffusion of moisture into or out of a sense coil can
cause long-term rate errors. To calculate this effect, we measured the effect
of moisture on the mechanical properties of the optical fiber coating. Using
these data, we modeled diffusion in a sense coil with finite-element analysis.
The rate error is calculated with an integral that is similar to that used
by Shupe and others. A variation in water concentration in the coil due to
diffusion causes changes in the properties of the fiber coating. This in turn
produces nonreciprocal stresses on the waveguide and leads to a rate error.
© 2012 IEEE
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