Abstract
A sensitive fluid viscosity and flow measurement device using optical intensity based sensing is presented. The sensing principle makes use of the damping characteristic of a vibrating optical fiber probe with approximate hinge-free end configuration. The viscosity and mass flow are determined by measuring the vibration of a sinusoidally excited tapered optical fiber under different flow conditions. By measuring the frequency response of the fiber probe, viscosity and mass flow can be deduced from the damping coefficient of the response. The concepts and experimental data presented demonstrate and refine the sensing process of the proposed system.