Abstract
Abstract. Optical fiber measurement systems have recently gained popularity following a multitude of intensive investigations. A new technique has been developed for these measurement systems that uses Rayleigh backscatter to determine the distributed strain measurement over the total length of a fiber. These measurement systems have great potential in civil engineering and structural health monitoring. This paper addresses some preliminary comparisons between three different fiber coatings and six different adhesives on steel structures. The results are based on a bending test with specimens made of precision flat steel; optical fiber strain measurements were compared with photogrammetric strain measurements. Analysis of the test data showed a strong correlation between the optical measurement system's results and the theoretical results up to the yielding point of the steel. Furthermore, the results indicate that fibers with the Ormocer® and polyimide coatings have almost the same strain values as the reference measurement method. The main results of this investigation are a guideline describing how to attach optical fibers to steel surfaces for distributed fiber optical strain measurements and recommendations for coatings to obtain realistic strain values. Additionally, the advantages of distributed strain measurements were revealed, which illustrates the potential of Rayleigh backscattering applications.
Highlights
Intensive investigations in recent years have brought attention to the distributed optical strain measurement system (Czarske and Müller, 1994; Horiguchi et al, 1995; Parker et al, 1997)
Brillouin scattering can measure over several kilometers with a spatial resolution in the meter range (Leung et al, 2015; Parker et al, 1997), whereas Rayleigh scattering has a spatial resolution of approximately 1 mm and is currently limited to a maximum length of 70 m (Samiec, 2012)
The purpose of these experiments was to evaluate the distributed optical fiber sensor’s strain measurement for usage in structural health monitoring (SHM), especially in embedded reinforcement bars used in concrete construction
Summary
Intensive investigations in recent years have brought attention to the distributed optical strain measurement system (Czarske and Müller, 1994; Horiguchi et al, 1995; Parker et al, 1997). This system represents a modern and innovative method of measuring strain or temperature in the matrices and surfaces of building materials, especially in the structural health monitoring (SHM) field (Barrias et al, 2018; Inaudi and Glisic, 2005). Three distributed optical fiber systems have emerged for SHM applications: Raman, Brillouin, and Rayleigh backscattering (Lopez-Higuera et al, 2011).
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