Distributed fiber optic sensors for tunnel monitoring:A state-of-the-art review

Distributed fiber optic sensors(DFOSs)possess the capability to measure strain and temperature variations over long distances,demonstrating outstanding potential for monitoring underground infrastructure.This study presents a state-of-the-art review of the DFOS applications for monitoring and assessing the deformation behavior of typical tunnel infrastructure,including bored tunnels,conventional tunnels,as well as immersed and cut-and-cover tunnels.DFOS systems based on Brillouin and Rayleigh scattering principles are both considered.When implementing DFOS monitoring,the fiber optic cable can be primarily installed along transverse and longitudinal directions to(1)measure distributed strains by continuously adhering the fiber to the structure’s surface or embedding it in the lining,or(2)measure point displacements by spot-anchoring it on the lining surface.There are four critical aspects of DFOS monitoring,including proper selection of the sensing fiber,selection of the measuring principle for the specific application,design of an effective sensor layout,and establishment of robust field sensor instrumentation.These four issues are comprehensively discussed,and practical suggestions are provided for the implementation of DFOS in tunnel infrastructure monitoring.

Strain measurement of fiber optic sensor surface bonding on host material

Fiber optic sensor has been widely used as a structural health monitoring device by either embedding into or surface bonding onto the structures. The strain of optic fiber induced by the host material is strongly dependent on the bonding characteristics which include the protective coating, adhesive layer and the length of bonding. The strains between the fiber optics and host structure are not exact the same. The existence of the protective coating and adhesive layer would affect the strain measured by the surface bonding optic sensor. The analytical expression of the strain in the optic fiber induced by the host material was presented. The results were validated by the finite element method. The theoretical predictions reveal that the strain in the optical fiber is lower than the strain of host material. Parametric study shows that a long bonding length and high modulus of protective coating would increase the percentage of strain transferring into the optical fiber. Experiments were conducted by using Mach-Zehnder interferometer to measure the strain of the surface bonding optic fiber induced by the host structure. Good agreements were observed in comparison with the experimental results and theoretical predictions.

Review of reflective fiber optic sensors for surface topography measurement

Different from the traditional contact surface topography measurement,reflective intensity-modulated fiber optic sensor(RIM-FOS)has the unique advantages of non-contact nondestructive detection.This paper briefly introduces the principle and performance of RIM-FOS for surface topography measurement and compares with several other methods of topography measurement.Based on the review of its development process,this paper summarizes and analyses the hot issues of RIM-FOS in the surface topography measurement,then predicts the future trend for a guidance of the further study.

Remote structural health monitoring with serially multiplexed fiber optic acoustic emission sensors

Development and testing of a serially multiplexed fiber optic sensor system is described.The sensor differs from conventional fiber optic acoustic systems,as it is capable of sensing AE emissions at several points along the length of a single fiber.Multiplexing provides for single channel detection of cracks and their locations in large structural systems. An algorithm was developed for signal recognition and tagging of the AE waveforms for detection of' crack locations,Labora- tory experiments on plain concrete beams and post-tensioned FRP tendons were pcrlormed to evaluate the crack detection capability of the sensor system.The acoustic emission sensor was able to detect initiation,growth and location of the cracks in concrete as well as in the FRP tendons.The AE system is potentially suitable lot applications involving health monitoring of structures following an earthquake.

Application of Fiber Optic Sensor Technology in Intelligent Steel Strand

A twisted fiber optic sensor based on intensity modulation is described. The principle and structure of the sensor and the choice of steel strand modules are introduced. The sensor is used to determine the tensile strain and distribution. The experimental results show that the change of the transferring light power has an approximate linear relation with the outer force. The intelligent steel strands with this kind of sensor will have a good application in monitoring the concrete crack and deformation distribution in huge structures such as dams and bridges.

Distributed Fiber Optic Monitoring and Stability Analysis of a Model Slope under Surcharge Loading

In the discipline of geotechnical engineering, fiber optic sensor based distributed monitoring has played an increasingly important role over the past few decades. Compared with conventional sensors, fiber optic sensors have a variety of exclusive advantages, such as smaller size, higher precision, and better corrosion resistance. These innovative monitoring technologies have been successfully applied for performance monitoring of geo-structures and early warning of potential geo- hazards around the world. In order to investigate their ability to monitor slope stability problems, a medium-sized model of soil nailed slope has been constructed in laboratory. The fully distributed Brillouin optical time-domain analysis （BOTDA） sensing technology was employed to measure the horizontal strain distributions inside the model slope. During model construction, a specially designed strain sensing fiber was buried in the soil mass. Afterward, the surcharge loading was applied on the slope crest in stages using hydraulic jacks and a reaction frame. During testing, an NBX-6o5o BOTDA sensing interrogator was used to collect the fiber optic sensing data. The test results have been analyzed in detail, which shows that the fiber optic sensors can capture the progressive deformation and failure pattern of the model slope. The limit equilibrium analyses were also conducted to obtain the factors ofsafety of the slope under different surface loadings. It is found that the characteristic maximum strains can reflect the stability of the model slope and an empirical relationship was obtained, This study verified the effectiveness of the distributed BOTDA sensing technology in performance monitoring of slope.

Quantitative Identification of Delamination Damage in Composite Structure Based on Distributed Optical Fiber Sensors and Model Updating

Delamination is a prevalent type of damage in composite laminate structures.Its accumulation degrades structural performance and threatens the safety and integrity of aircraft.This study presents a method for the quantitative identification of delamination identification in composite materials,leveraging distributed optical fiber sensors and a model updating approach.Initially,a numerical analysis is performed to establish a parameterized finite element model of the composite plate.Then,this model subsequently generates a database of strain responses corresponding to damage of varying sizes and locations.The radial basis function neural network surrogate model is then constructed based on the numerical simulation results and strain responses captured from the distributed fiber optic sensors.Finally,a multi-island genetic algorithm is employed for global optimization to identify the size and location of the damage.The efficacy of the proposed method is validated through numerical examples and experiment studies,examining the correlations between damage location,damage size,and strain responses.The findings confirm that the model updating technique,in conjunction with distributed fiber optic sensors,can precisely identify delamination in composite structures.

DISTRIBUTED MICROBEND FIBER-OPTIC STRAIN SENSOR

The distributed strain sensor has significant application in real time measurement of strain status for large and important engineering structures such as aircraft, bridge and dam. In this paper, a quasi distributed optical fiber strain sensor system is set up using optical time domain reflect technique. The local strain sensors based on a novel microbend configuration are designed and applied to measure local strains along the optical fiber. As the result of the experimental research, the microbend sensors show high sensitivity, good linearity and repeatability in certain operation range.

Dual-channel fiber-optic surface plasmon resonance sensor with cascaded coaxial dual-waveguide D-type structure and microsphere structure

To address the restriction of fiber-optic surface plasmon resonance(SPR) sensors in the field of multi-sample detection, a novel dual-channel fiber-optic SPR sensor based on the cascade of coaxial dual-waveguide D-type structure and microsphere structure is proposed in this paper. The fiber sidepolishing technique converts the coaxial dual-waveguide fiber into a D-type one, and the evanescent wave in the ring core leaks, generating a D-type sensing region;the fiber optic fused ball push technology converts the coaxial dual waveguides into microspheres, and the stimulated cladding mode evanescent wave leaks, producing the microsphere sensing region. By injecting light into the coaxial dual-waveguide middle core alone, the sensor can realize single-stage sensing in the microsphere sensing area;it can also realize dual-channel sensing in the D-type sensing area and microsphere sensing area by injecting light into the ring core. The refractive index measurement ranges for the two channels are 1.333–1.365 and 1.375–1.405, respectively, with detection sensitivities of 981.56 nm/RIU and 4138 nm/RIU. The sensor combines wavelength division multiplexing and space division multiplexing technologies, presenting a novel research concept for multi-channel fiber SPR sensors.

A Dual-Mode Bow Tie Optical Fiber Sensor for Measurement of Axial Strain

An optical fiber strain sensor utilizing the mode-mode interference of LP01x, and LPJ11x modes in bow tie optical fibers is described. The heterodyne interference caused by frequency modulation of laser diode (LD) with ramp injection current is used to realize the detection of linear phase. Experimental results show a resolution of about 2% of one fringe corresponding to a strain of 2.9m.

DETERMINATION OF INTERNAL STRAIN IN 3-D BRAIDED COMPOSITES USING OPTIC FIBER STRAIN SENSORS

A reliable understanding of the properties of 3-D braided composites is of primary importance for proper utilization of these materials. A new method is introduced to study the mechanical performance of braided composite materials using embedded optic fiber sensors. Experimental research is performed to devise a method of incorporating optic fibers into a 3-D braided composite structure. The efficacy of this new testing method is evaluated on two counts. First, the optical performance of optic fibers is studied before and after incorporated into 3-D braided composites, as well as after completion of the manufacturing process for 3-D braided composites, to validate the ability of the optic fiber to survive the manufacturing process. On the other hand, the influence of incorporated optic fiber on the original braided composite is also researched by tension and compression experiments. Second, two kinds of optic fiber sensors are co-embedded into 3-D braided composites to evaluate their respective ability to measure the internal strain. Experimental results show that multiple optic fiber sensors can be co-braided into 3-D braided composites to determine their internal strain which is difficult to be fulfilled by other current existing methods.

Complete Phase-strain Model for Interferometric Optical Fiber Sensor

The complete phase-strain model for arbitrarily configured singe-mode optical fiber in an arbitrary three-demensional strain field is derived. It includes all factors having influence on the optical phase such as the change in length, dispersion and birefringence. When simplified, our analysis is respectively consistent with the model of Sirkis and Haslach, Butter and Hocker.

Research Progress in the Key Device and Technology for Fiber Optic Sensor Network

The recent research progress in the key device and technology of the fiber optic sensor network （FOSN） is introduced in this paper. An architecture of the sensor optical passive network （SPON）, by employing hybrid wavelength division multiplexing/time division multiplexing （WDM/TDM） techniques similar to the fiber communication passive optical network （PON）, is proposed. The network topology scheme of a hybrid TDM/WDM/FDM （frequency division multiplexing） three-dimension fiber optic sensing system for achieving ultra-large capacity, long distance, and high resolution sensing performance is performed and analyzed. As the most important device of the FOSN, several kinds of light source are developed, including the wideband multi-wavelength fiber laser operating at C band, switchable and tunable 2 μm multi-wavelength fiber lasers, ultra-fast mode-locked fiber laser, as well as the optical wideband chaos source, which have very good application prospects in the FOSN. Meanwhile, intelligent management techniques for the FOSN including wideband spectrum demodulation of the sensing signals and real-time fault monitoring of fiber links are presented. Moreover, several typical applications of the FOSN are also discussed, such as the fiber optic gas sensing network, fiber optic acoustic sensing network, and strain/dynamic strain sensing network.

The Compatibility in Optic Fiber Smart Concrete and Structure

The compatibility between a fiber optical sensor and concrete structure in the optic fiber smart concrete is studied.The methods of improving the compatibility are proposed based on theory analysing, and a novel fiber optical sensor was developed. The experimental results show that the novel structure of fiber optical sensor and the scheme of the protecting layer of epoxy resin bed composite not only enable the sensor to be applied in strict environment, but also can monitor the beginning propagation and breaking of concrete cracks. The results also indicate that the sensor will maintain its properties in the case of large deformation and that it has the high compatibility with concrete structure and can meet special needs of the intelligent materials and structure.

Loading Localization by Small-Diameter Optical Fiber Sensors

Structural health monitoring(SHM)in service has attracted increasing attention for years.Load localization on a structure is studied hereby.Two algorithms,i.e.,support vector machine(SVM)method and back propagation neural network(BPNN)algorithm,are proposed to identify the loading positions individually.The feasibility of the suggested methods is evaluated through an experimental program on a carbon fiber reinforced plastic laminate.The experimental tests involve in application of four optical fiber-based sensors for strain measurement at discrete points.The sensors are specially designed fiber Bragg grating(FBG)in small diameter.The small-diameter FBG sensors are arrayed in 2-D on the laminate surface.The testing results indicate that the loading position could be detected by the proposed method.Using SVM method,the 2-D FBG sensors can approximate the loading location with maximum error less than 14 mm.However,the maximum localization error could be limited to about 1 mm by applying the BPNN algorithm.It is mainly because the convergence conditions(mean square error)can be set in advance,while SVM cannot.

Distributed optical fiber acoustic sensor for in situ monitoring of marine natural gas hydrates production for the first time in the Shenhu Area,China

The distributed acoustic sensor(DAS)uses a single optical cable as the sensing unit,which can capture the acoustic and vibration signals along the optical cable in real-time.So it is suitable for monitoring downhole production activities in the process of oil and gas development.The authors applied the DAS system in a gas production well in the South China Sea for in situ monitoring of the whole wellbore for the first time and obtained the distributed acoustic signals along the whole wellbore.These signals can clearly distinguish the vertical section,curve section,and horizontal production section.The collected acoustic signal with the frequency of approximately 50 Hz caused by the electric submersible pump exhibit a signal-to-noise ratio higher than 27 dB.By analyzing the acoustic signals in the production section,it can be located the layers with high gas production rates.Once an accurate physical model is built in the future,the gas production profile will be obtained.In addition,the DAS system can track the trajectory of downhole tools in the wellbore to guide the operation.Through the velocity analysis of the typical signals,the type of fluids in the wellbore can be distinguished.The successful application of the system provides a promising whole wellbore acoustic monitoring tool for the production of marine gas hydrate,with a good application prospect.

Absolute Measurement Fiber-optic Sensors inLarge Structural Monitoring

The security of civil engineering is an important task due to the economic, social and environmental significance. Compared with conventional sensors, the optical fiber sensors have their unique characteristics.Being durable, stable and insensitive to external perturbations,they are particular interesting for the long-term monitoring of civil structures.Focus is on absolute measurement optical fiber sensors, which are emerging from the monitoring large structural, including SOFO system, F-P optical fiber sensors, and fiber Bragg grating sensors. The principle, characteristic and application of these three kinds of optical fiber sensors are described together with their future prospects.

Stress Sensing by an Optical Fiber Sensor: Method and Process for the Characterization of the Sensor Response Depending on Several Designs

In this paper we propose an analyzing of the response of a stress optical fiber sensor of which we proposed several design. We show that an optical fiber sensor with these designs can covenanting allow the measuring the force/stress applied to a mechanical structure or which it is linked, by optimizing the uses of appropriate materials for constituting the sensor support. The experiment that we introduce to validate our approach based in principles includes design with a support bearing a multimode optical fiber organized in such a way that the transmitted light is attenuated when the fiber-bending angle coming from stitching in holes of the support is modified by the effects of the force/stress applied to the optical fiber sensor realized in this way. The tests realized concern the most relevant parameters that define the performances of the stress sensor that we propose. We present the problems that we to solved for the optimization of the sensor for selecting the more efficient material for the optical fiber sensor support related to a relevant choice of optical fibers.

Robust Fiber Strain Sensor by Designing Coaxial Coiling Structure with Mutual Inductance Effect

Fiber strain sensors with robust sensing performance are indispensable for human-machine interactions in the electronic textiles.However,current fiber strain sensors are confronted with the challenges of unavoidable deterioration of functional sensing components during wearable and extreme environments,resulting in unsatisfactory stability and durability.Here,we present a robust fiber strain sensor based on the mutual inductance effect.The sensor is assembled by designing coaxial helical coils around an elastic polyurethane fiber.When stretching the fiber sensor,the strain is detected by recording the voltage changes in the helical coils due to the variation in magnetic flux.The resultant fiber strain sensor shows high linearity(with a linear regression coefficient of 0.99)at a large strain of 100%,and can withstand various extreme environmental conditions,such as high/low temperatures(from-30℃to 160℃),and severe deformations,such as twisting and pressing(with a pressure of 500 N/cm).The long-term cyclic stability of our fiber strain sensor(100,000 cycles at a strain of 100%)is superior to that of most reported flexible resistive and capacitive strain sensors.Finally,the mass-produced fiber strain sensors are woven into a smart textile system to accurately capture gestures.

Engineering approach to in-situ bridge health monitoring with fiber bragg gratings

In this presentation the feasibility and capability of fiber Bragg gratings （FBG） employed in bridge health monitoring are demonstrated on a real bridge. FBG＇ s wavelength shift depending on strain variance has been tested. The technique of FBG installation on bridges has been developed. 12 FBG strain sensors and 3 temperature sensors have been successfully embedded in the prestressed concrete box girder during the construction of Heilongjiang Hulan River Bridge. The prestressing tension process and quasi-static loading process of the girder were monitored with those sensors before it was installed onto the bridge. After the bridge was completed, the FBG sensors embedded have been utilized to monitor the strain shift of the beam under quasi-static load, traffic load and temperature. The results show that the traffic fluxes, possible tatigue damage and deflection of the bridge can be revealed conveniently through strain measurements with these FBG sensors, which provide key information for structural health diagnosis. The fact that the FBG strain sensors have withstood the ordeal of harsh construction process and lasted for more than one year proves that their durability and stability can satisfy the requirements for bridge health monitoring. It is also shown that the FBG strain sensor is more adaptive to long-term structural health monitoring than the electric resistance strain gauge.