Laboratory Evaluation of Fiber-Optic Sensors for Strain Monitoring
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 15, Issue 4
Abstract
This paper presents laboratory experimental results on new Fabry-Perot fiber-optic sensors to verify their behavior and applicability for strain monitoring of engineering materials and structures. The research program consisted of thermal tests, tensile tests, and flexural tests. Two types of Fabry-Perot fiber-optic sensors were investigated and compared to electrical resistance strain gauges and fiber Bragg gratings. Experimental results show that Fabry-Perot fiber-optic sensors perform linearly in monitoring tensile and compressive strains of infrastructure elements, and demonstrate good response to thermal variations and static and dynamic loading conditions. The fiber-optic sensing technology shows an enhanced accuracy and has potential for significant improvement in long-term strain monitoring over conventional strain gauges in field applications.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 15 • Issue 4 • August 2003
Pages: 381 - 390
Copyright
Copyright © 2003 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 25, 2001
Accepted: May 20, 2002
Published online: Jul 15, 2003
Published in print: Aug 2003
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