FIBRE OPTIC SENSORS FOR BRIDGE

MONITORING

JUSTIN JOHNSON
M.TECH. STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
NIT RAIPUR
 Introduction
• It could be very interesting to determine if structures are safe for
reusing after a significant overload or to know if the current
infrastructures are approaching or exceeding their initial designed
life period.
• It must be remarked that modern structures should be equipped
with monitoring systems able to automatically detect the damage,
characterize it (recognize, localize, quantify or rate), and report it,
providing important input for structure managers.
• Rapid deterioration of existing structures.
• Appearance of widespread failure heightened the importance of
structural monitoring systems.
• Financial problem – identification of failure at early stage and
adopting the suitable technique.
• Identification of decisive parameter and calibration of models for
describing the mechanisms.
• The Optical Fibre Sensing Technology can be considered a sub-area of
the Photonic Sensing Technology .
• A Photonic/Optical Sensor can be considered as a photonic system
where the measured object magnitude (measurand) or input signal (Oi),
introduces modifications or modulations in some of the characteristics
of the light in an optical system.
• After being detected, processed and conditioned, the system will
deliver an output signal (Oe), usually in the electric domain, which will
be a valid reproduction of the object variable.
• The transmitted or reflected light can be modulated by the measurand
or modulating signal in its amplitude, phase, frequency or polarization
characteristics.
 OPTIC FIBRE
• Thin flexible strand of di-electrical material.
• Normally consist of two material –
1. Core – with high refractive index
2. Cladding – with low refractive index
• The light waves is held in the core by the reflection between the
interface of core and cladding.
• Cladding is often surrounded by the other materials for the
mechanical strength.
• Core and cladding are made of silica and dopants like germanium.
Basic components of fibre optics –
• Splitters and couplers
• Light source
• Sensors and demodulation system
• Processing system
• FOS based on the measuring the change of property of guided light.
• This change in the guided light property can be brought out by changes
within and outside the fibre.
• Accordingly the fibres have been classified into
a) Intrinsic optic fibres
b) Extrinsic optic fibres
Fig.1. intrinsic and extrinsic sensors
 INTRINSIC FIBRE OPTICAL SENSOR

• Change in the fibre produces changes in the properties of light

travelling in the fibre.
• Light never exists the fibre.
• Fibre used as a input / output medium and as sensor.
• In the intrinsic sensor, a cavity is formed between two partial mirrors
placed inside the fibre. This cavity is the sensing region.
• Internal mirrors are reflectors formed as an integral part of a
continuous length of fibre.
• They are produced by fusion splicing an uncoated fibre to a fibre
with a thin dielectric coating on the end.

Fig.2.Intrinsic sensor
 EXTRINSIC SENSOR
• The optical fibre is used purely as the input/output path.
• The fibre only carries the light from the source to the sensing part,
and from the sensing part to the demodulation system.
• In this case, the Fabry–Pe’rot cavity is formed between the air–glass
interfaces of two fibre end faces aligned inside a hollow-core tube .
• In the sensing zone, the light exits the optical fibre and enters
another medium, usually air.
• Then, in this medium, the light is modulated and finally it again enters
the optical fibre to be guided to the demodulation system.
• The FOSs are based on measuring changes in the physical
properties of the guided light.
• Mainly four properties of the light can be modulated:
• Phase,
• polarization state,
• intensity,
• wavelength.
• Thus it is possible to classify the sensors in four different
categories depending on which of these properties they modulate
1)Interferometric sensors 2) Polarimetric sensors,
3)Intensity modulated sensors 4) Spectrometric sensors.
 Intensity modulated sensors
• Based on the monitoring the changes in the intensity of input light.
• Able to measure any parameter that brings a change in the intensity
of light.
Advantages
• Simplicity of implementation and low cost
• possibility of being multiplexed
• ability to perform as real distributed sensors.
Drawbacks
• Relative measurements
• Variations in the intensity of the light source lead to false readings,
unless a referencing system is used.
• The optical time-domain reflectometry (OTDR) is used in almost all
the intensity-modulated sensors.
• The main application is fault finding and attenuation monitoring in
optical networks.
• In the field of optical fibres, sensors are used to monitor changes
in light intensity in the fibres, and also to develop different
schemes of multiplexing.
• The OTDR relies on the reflection of light that has been launched
into a fibre from an amplitude-modulated and pulsed source.
 Spectrometric Sensors
• The spectrometric sensors monitor changes in the wavelength of the
light.
• An advantage of these sensors is that the sensed information shift in
wavelength which is an absolute parameter, and thus absolute
measurements are obtained, instead of relative ones.
• The wavelength-encoded nature of the output also permits ease in
multiplexing.
• Several gratings can be placed along a single optical fibre, obtaining, in
this way, a quasi-distributed point sensing the measurand (qty. intended
to be measured).
• Generated by engraving, at the core of the optical fibre and for a short

length of about 1 cm a periodic modulation of its refractive index.

• It will behave as a series of weak partial reflecting mirrors which, by an

accumulative phenomenon called diffraction, will reflect back the optical

wavelength.

• Therefore, if a broadband light is traveling in the core of the optical

fibre, the incident energy at such a resonant frequency will be reflected

back, with the remaining optical spectra unaffected

Braggs equation
b  2 * neff * 
• Any change in the pitch length or refractive index will cause a
shift in the Bragg peak wavelength.
• Consequently, any mechanical or thermal strain variation on the FBG
can be determined by the corresponding shift in the central Bragg
wavelength
• Assuming isothermal conditions, the change in bis given by
b
 1  pe   Where e - axial strain
b pe – effective photo elastic constant
 Fibre Optic Sensors for Structural Monitoring
Crack sensors
• The existing condition of many important concrete structures can be
assessed through the detection and monitoring of cracking.
• When a crack opens in the structure, a fibre intersecting the crack at an
angle other than 90° has to bend to stay continuous.
• This perturbation in the fibre is very abrupt, and thus can be considered
as micro-bending.
• This micro-bending results in a sharp drop in the optical signal the lower
line .
• This intensity loss is detected and located by means of the OTDR
equipment. Also, from the magnitude of the drop, the crack opening can
be obtained if a calibration relation is available.

• The ideal application of the sensor is in the monitoring of flexural

cracks in bridges, which may appear at arbitrary locations along the
deck, but essentially perpendicular to the spanning direction.

• A method for applying the sensor to existing structures was recently

proposed and is called the sensor plate
 Intensity along the fibre, measured by means of the optical time-domain
reflectometry equipment
 Strain sensors
Bragg Grating Strain Sensors
• If white light is injected in the fibre containing the grating, the
wavelength corresponding to the grating pitch will be reflected
while all other wavelengths will pass through the grating
undisturbed.
• Since the grating period is strain and temperature dependent, it
becomes possible to measure these two parameters by analysing
the spectrum of the reflected light.
• The main interest in using Bragg gratings resides in their
multiplexing potential.
• Many gratings can be written in the same fibre at different locations and
tuned to reflect at different wavelengths.
• This allows the measurement of strain at different places along a fibre
using a single cable.
• It consists of a FBG bonded to a piece of a rebar.

• The jacket of the fibre is only removed in the sensing zone, which is

bonded to the polished surface of the rebar by means of cyanoacrylate.

• The sensing part is protected by several layers of rubber, and the

input/output lead is protected enough by the fibre jackets.

 Temperature sensor

• One of the most significant limitations of FBG sensors is their dual

sensitivity to temperature and strain

• Temperature variations along the fibre path can lead to anomalous strain

readings.

• The problem with the temperature is not to separate the measured

strain in two components: One due to the load and the other to the

temperature variation
• One approach to addressing this issue is to use reference gratings
that are in thermal contact with the structure, but do not respond to
local strain changes.
• Compensation can be achieved by subtracting the shift of the
reference gratings from the shift of the sensing gratings.
 Corrosion Monitoring Sensors
• Based on Braggs grating technology.
• A FBG disposed around a noncorrugated steel bar in a circle
perpendicular to its axis, by means of super glue .
• With this disposition, the sensor measures the angular strain
produced around the bar.
• When the bar expands due to corrosion, the perimeter of its section
increases and the FBG is strained, which is detected as a shift in the
Bragg wavelength of the sensor.
Sensor type 2 is a FBG in contact with the rebar. In this case, the
sensor measures the strain in the concrete around the bar in the radial
direction due to the expansion of the bar diameter caused by
corrosion.
 Long Transducers For Elongation Measurements

• Transducers are useful to measure the structural integrity of structures in a

wide set of application sectors including architectural heritage and civil
engineering applications.

• The transducer consists of a pair of single-mode fibres installed in the

structure to be monitored.
• One of the fibres, called measurement fibre, is in mechanical contact

with the host structure itself.

• It is attached to it at its two extremities and pre-stressed in-

between.

• On the other hand, the other fibre, the reference fibre, is placed

loose in the same pipe.

• To make an absolute measurement of this path unbalance, a low-

coherence double Michelson interferometer is used.

• The first interferometer is made of the measurement and

reference fibres, while the second is contained in the portable

reading unit.

• This second interferometer can introduce, by means of a

scanning mirror, a well-defined path unbalance between its two

arms

• The precision was obtained to be 2 microns.

 Applications to Bridge Monitoring

• Summarizes some recent applications of fibre optic systems to the

short- and long-term monitoring of a wide range of bridge types.

• objective of the measurement program and to the trade offs between

FOSs and conventional sensors.

 • Mjosundet Bridge

• Aim of an EU Brite-EuRam funded project entitled MILLENNIUM—

‘‘Monitoring of Large Civil Engineering Structures for Improved

Maintenance’’

• tested with laboratory and field trial environments

• five-span continuous composite bridge.

• two end spans of 41 m, two intermediate spans of 82 m, and a center span of

100 m giving a total length of 346 m.

• The optical fibre sensors were mounted inside the bridge in conjunction

with conventional strain gauges.

• A total of six locations within the structure were monitored in order to

assess the bending strains at the centre of the bridge and the shear

strains close to one of the supports of the middle span of the bridge.

• No degradation of the bonding mechanisms.

• The construction of a model to assess the optimum sensor positioning.

• Scale 1/5 for section and 1/12 for length.

• For sensed locations on the field trial structure with ERSG and FOS
sensors at the same location the following are the results
• 7.2 ue average change for 28 FOS sensors over the 2 tests conducted 13
months apart 18.8 ue standard deviation of the change for same sampling
batch.
• 24.3 ue average change for 8 ERSG sensors over the 2 tests conducted 13
months apart; 7.6 ue standard deviation of the change for same sampling
batch.
• the long-term performance of such sensors and the possibility of sensor
trees to be easily manufactured up to thousands of meters in length,
makes them ideal for large-scale continuous monitoring in civil engineering
structures.
 Monitoring of Bridge Incorporating Advanced Composite Materials

• Advanced composites offer optimal corrosion properties, low weight, and

decreasing costs.

• The combination of advanced composites and fibre optic strain sensors is

easy and offers important embedding of the sensor in the composite

material or in the interface between materials in the manufacturing or

retrofitting processes.
• Tests on a concrete beam repaired with carbon fibre-reinforced plastic
and instrumented with Bragg gratings shows a possible repair.
• externally pre stressed concrete continuous beam with two spans 7.20 m
each, was loaded up to failure and repaired.
• surface near the cracks was mechanically prepared for adequate bonding
• Composite patches, made of two layers of carbon fabric, in situ
impregnated with room-temperature epoxy resin, extended over the
crack locations to transmit the load from the discontinued steel bars.
• FOS placed both internal and external surfaces.
• The load vs strain graph of strain gauges and FOS showed coincidence .
• The strain measured by sensor A, located in the interface directly over

the concrete and embedded in the adhesive, is higher than that

measured by sensor B, at the same location but on top of the composite

patch.

• This phenomenon could be monitored due to the FBG technology over

shadowing the conventional sensors .