Physical principles of fibre optic strain sensing
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Published:2016
Cedric Kechavarzi, MSc, PhD, FHEA, Kenichi Soga, FREng, FICE, Nicholas de Battista, BE&A (Hons), MSc, PhD, MASCE, A&CE, Loizos Pelecanos, MEng(Hons), ACGI, PhD, DIC, Mohammed Z E B Elshafie, BSc (Hons), MPhil, PhD, Robert. J Mair, CBE FREng, FICE, FRS, 2016. "Physical principles of fibre optic strain sensing", Distributed Fibre Optic Strain Sensing for Monitoring Civil Infrastructure: A Practical Guide, Cedric Kechavarzi, MSc, PhD, FHEA, Kenichi Soga, FREng, FICE, Nicholas de Battista, BE&A (Hons), MSc, PhD, MASCE, A&CE, Loizos Pelecanos, MEng(Hons), ACGI, PhD, DIC, Mohammed Z E B Elshafie, BSc (Hons), MPhil, PhD, Robert J Mair, CBE FREng, FICE, FRS
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One of the unique features of strain sensing systems that are based on light scattering phenomena in optical fibres is the simplicity of the sensing element. The sensor is simply a standard and inexpensive telecommunications optical fibre with which strain or temperature can be measured at any given time at several thousand points over distances spanning kilometres.
These systems make use of the properties of the backscattered light spectrum in optical fibres at the Brillouin frequency, which varies linearly with strain and temperature within the measurand range of interest for civil applications. This linear response is yet another notable characteristic of these systems as it enables simple and accurate calibration.
