This paper describes a fibre-optic interrogation device based on a pulsed time-of-flight (TOF) technique for the measurement of integral strain. The precision of the measurement system is 100 μm (1 ps) and it has a spatial resolution of less than 0.50 m (5 ns), achieved by the use of ultra-short probe pulses of about 500 ps, a GHz band receiver channel and a custom-made time-to-digital converter (TDC) implemented in a standard CMOS process. The TDC can simultaneously measure the distance to 9 reflectors (e.g., Bragg gratings) in the fibre core using the same optical pulse. Combined with a common receiver channel and an ultra-fast timing discriminator, this capability makes the system fast and stable, thus enabling both long-term and dynamic measurements. Potential application areas of the system include measurement of integral strain and its derivatives, especially in large civil engineering structures and composite materials. Pull tests with bare optical fibres have demonstrated that the obtained results are in good agreement with those of a reference sensor.
A measurement system based on a sophisticated time-of-flight technique and a single mode optical fibre with internal reflectors has been developed for measuring integral strain inside a composite structure. The strain and spatial resolutions are 0.1 mm and 5 m respectively and the measurement time 1 s. The measurement system is widely tested with different types of composite structures.
Measurement system based on a time-of-flight technique and Fabry-Perot optical fiber sensors have been used to determine the strain state in the composite structure. In theory the optical fiber causes a local disturbation to the structure such that measured strain slightly differs from the farfield strain. However, the sensors used in this study were insensitive to the disturbance.
A novel fiber optic sensors for traffic monitoring applications are presented. They are useful for monitoring the traffic entering and leaving guarded areas, counting traffic on public roads as well as in determining lane occupancy at traffic lights. When installing sensor arrays, the sensors may also be used to provide additional information: measure the speed, wheel base of a vehicle and also to determine the number of axles and vehicle type. The sensors are based on optical fiber or cable, installed inside the asphalt layer of the road, to measure compression or vibrations near the road surface. Two sensor principles were used. One based on the microbending effect and another that utilizes the speckle phenomenon. In both cases the whole length of the fiber acts as a sensor. The microbending sensor requires a special fiber and special set-up, whereas in the speckle sensor a standard cable may be used. Both sensor types were tested in field applications where the harsh environment, especially the heat, sets great demands on installation. In these experiments, speed and vehicle type measurements were carried out with good results. In the paper, we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of both sensor types and present some field test results. We will also show the benefits of these particular fiber optic sensors over traditional sensors.
The monitoring of fuel tanks and toxic liquid containers with embedded long optical fibers makes it possible to determine their condition and to detect probable environmental risks. We present here measurements of microbending loss in long, single-mode telecommunication fibers installed inside the walls of composite containers during the manufacturing process. The measurements were performed by the optical through power technique and using a commercial optical time domain reflectometer. The measurement data indicate that the optical sensing fibers can detect the end of the curing process in the composite and the occurrence of external loading likely to damage the structure.
Long optical fibers embedded inside a composite material enable on-line monitoring of the manufacturing process and can also be used to assess damage by monitoring strain and cracks in the structure. We report on measurements of the microbending loss in long single-mode and multimode telecommunication fibers that were successfully installed inside the walls of composite containers during the normal manufacturing process. The work was largely empirical, and theoretical aspects were not investigated thoroughly. The measurements were carried out using the optical through power technique and a commercial optical time-domain reflectometer that gives not only the attenuation but also spatial information. We found that the coating material and its thickness have an effect on loading sensitivity and on the applicability of the method for cure monitoring. Although we discovered that repeatability issues are a problem, the measurement data indicate that the end-of-curing process of the composite can be determined by optical sensing fibers and damaging external loading of the structure can be detected.
In this study distributed fiber optic sensors using commercial telecommunication and special sensor fibers have been studied and tested. A PC-compatible OTDR-card is used to obtain a portable measuring system. Especially the measuring of strain and stress in steel plates and bars is studied in comparison with strain gage measurements. The sensing of ice temperature with a special sensing fiber is also reported. Applications of the fiber sensors studied here are strain and stress measurements and crack detection in steel chambers and pipes especially at high temperatures (> 300 degree(s)C), and freezing detection of road structures.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.