This thesis examines the theoretical and experimental performance of a fibre Bragg grating sensor for static and dynamic strain measurement in hard rock. A literature review focuses on the fundamental theory of fibre Bragg gratings, various physical demodulation schemes used to interrogate Bragg sensors with an emphasis on charge coupled device spectrometry, as well as the aliasing behaviour of Bragg gratings as sensors. A coupled numerical-analytical analysis is conducted on various sensor configurations designed for borehole deployment in order to establish the response of the strain sensors under various strain conditions. The findings of an experimental investigation of two sensors subjected to uniaxial strain within a grout and a rock specimen are presented. The experimental data confirm the feasibility of using the proposed sensor as a part of an integrated optical strain sensing network.M.A.S
