Output details

An optical fiber sensor system for remote displacement monitoring of structures - Prototype tests in the laboratory

This paper describes the concept and multi-disciplinary development of a novel structural monitoring system – the ‘Smart Rod’, – and establishes the proof-of-concept via its first installation in a live road tunnel to measure tunnel-lining displacements using strain measurements. This collaborative EPSRC-funded research (OFSTUNN – Optical Fibre Sensors for Tunnels) with London Underground, Sol Data and Smart Fibres proved the accuracy and reproducibility of the new monitoring system in measuring tunnel wall strains and displacements. Crucially, it can be deployed in the harsh environment of an operational tunnel, thus achieving all OFSTUNN’s primary aims via a combination of civil engineering and material science.