Output details
14 - Civil and Construction Engineering
University of Birmingham
Finding displacements from measured strains in 2D frames
Gathering comprehensive, accurate deflections of loaded structures (where direct measurement is impossible, especially so when in-service) is a challenging issue for engineers. This combination of structural theory and novel pultruded optical fibre ‘smart rod’ strain sensors, created from EPSRC-funded research, uniquely yields the deflection of 2D beams and frames from strain measurements. It extrapolates research on the deflection of tunnel linings to novel structural applications and, given its fundamental basis in structural theory and rapid advances in strain-measuring capabilities, provides a general ability to convert strains into deflections with far-reaching consequences in all branches of engineering.