Monitoring the behavior of steel structures using distributed optical fiber sensors

Creation of a new generation of structures capable of continuous real-time monitoring of their own structural behavior will be a major advancement in structural engineering. The research presented herein lays the groundwork for monitoring the behavior of steel structures using distributed optical fiber sensors. The properties of light traveling through an optical fiber can be affected by very small changes in fiber geometry caused by conditions such as elongation, bending, or twisting. These are also conditions that are encountered in steel structures. To demonstrate the viability of using surface-mounted fiber optic sensors to monitor the behavior of steel structures, an experimental research program was carried out on a sample steel structure. The sample structure consisted of a simply supported W-shape test beam and an optomechanical system for monitoring the structural behavior of the test beam. The optomechanical system consisted of five primary components: a light emitter and circuitry, optical fiber, a light detector and circuitry, an analyzer, and bypass circuitry. The indirectly measured loading on the test beam (as determined by the optomechanical system) compared well with the directly measured loading. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.