A Review of Recent Distributed Optical Fiber Sensors Applications for Civil Engineering Structural Health Monitoring

Area of Science:

• Engineering
• Materials Science
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Distributed Optical Fiber Sensors (DOFS) are advanced tools for monitoring strain, temperature, and vibration.
• Key advantages include minimal intrusiveness, high accuracy, ease of deployment, and high spatial resolution (down to 0.63 mm).
• Existing research highlights the potential of DOFS in various structural health monitoring (SHM) campaigns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive review of recent research on DOFS for SHM.
• To inform readers about DOFS deployment methodologies for assessing structural residual capacity.
• To consolidate recent advancements and findings to foster collective growth in efficient SHM.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of recently published research articles on DOFS applications in SHM.
• Analysis of DOFS deployment strategies across diverse structural types and environments.
• Examination of strain transfer mechanisms in multi-layered DOFS sensing systems.
• Exploration of novel DOFS applications and future trends in SHM.

Main Results:

• DOFS enable high-resolution, non-intrusive monitoring of structures.
• Successful deployment of DOFS has been demonstrated in laboratory settings and various built environments, including bridges, buildings, roads, geotechnical structures, tunnels, pipelines, and wind turbines.
• Understanding strain transfer mechanisms is crucial for accurate DOFS performance.
• Emerging applications suggest a significant future role for DOFS in SHM.

Conclusions:

• DOFS represent a state-of-the-art technology for effective Structural Health Monitoring.
• This review consolidates current knowledge and methodologies, facilitating broader adoption and development of DOFS in SHM.
• Future research should focus on novel applications and optimizing strain transfer for enhanced monitoring capabilities.