Analysis of Strain Transfer Characteristics of Fiber Bragg Gratings for Asphalt Pavement Health Monitoring

Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) exhibits strong resistance to electromagnetic interference and excellent linear strain response, making it highly promising for structural health monitoring (SHM) in pavement. This research investigates the strain transfer characteristics of embedded FBG in pavement structure and materials by using the relevant theoretical models. Results indicate adhesive layer thickness and sheath modulus are the primary factors influencing the strain transfer coefficient. A thinner adhesive layer and high modulus of sheath enhance the coefficient. Additionally, the strain distribution of sheath significantly affects the transfer efficiency. When the stress level near the grating region is lower than the both ends, the coefficient increases and even exceeds 1, which typically occurs under multi-axle conditions. As for asphalt mixture, high temperature leads to lower efficiency, while accumulated plastic strain improves it. Although the increased load frequency results a higher strain transfer coefficient, the magnitude of this change is negligible. By employing polynomial fitting to the sheath strain distribution, the boundary condition of theoretical equation could be removed. The theoretical and numerical results of strain transfer coefficient for pavement embedded FBG demonstrate good consistency, indicating the polynomial fitting is adoptable for the theoretical calculation with non-uniform strain distribution. This study utilizes the FEM to clarify the evolution of FBG strain transfer in pavement structures and materials, providing a theoretical basis for the design and implementation of embedded FBG in pavement.