Low Cost Fiber Bragg Grating( FBG) Sensors for Structural

Health Monitoring

INITIAL PROJECT REPORT

CONTENTS:

1. ABSTRACT

2. DOCUMENTATION OF FBG SENSORS

a. WHAT IS FIBER BRAGG GRATING?

b. CURRENT APPLICATIONS OF FBG’S
c. TIMELINE FOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF VARIOUS FBG APPLICATIONS
d. INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS WHERE FBG’S HAVE SPECIFIC
ADVANTAGES
e. FIBER BRAGG GRATINGS AS SENSORS
f. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF FBG’S OVER TRADITIONAL
SENSORS:
g. SENSORS BASED ON FBG FOR INFRATRUCTURES
h. THEORY OF FBG SENSORS: SENSOR DESIGN

3. PROJECT SUMMARY

4. SPECIFIC PROJECT TASKS

a. INTRODUCTION:
b. DYNAMIC STRAIN MEASUREMENT USING FBG SENSORS
c. CRACK DETECTION USING FBG SENSORS

5. CONCLUSION
6. REFERENCES

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ABSTRACT

In the fifth five year plan, India is expected to invest $ 1 Trillion in its various infrastructure projects.
Today's civil structures depend tremendously on use of sensing technology for real time structural health
monitoring to measure a multitude of parameters like strain, temperature, pressure and chemical and
biological effect of environment. Currently, however, India's infrastructure lacks a rigorous mechanism
for structural health monitoring. It is mostly done through visual inspections of the structure. As we build
future structures which have to work safely under extreme weather conditions, it becomes imperative that
these structures are inherently smart and sense their own structural health so their safety is never
compromised. The structural health monitoring (SHM) is very important and definitely demanded for
safely working of engineering structure such as concrete structures. This project aims at modelling Fiber
Bragg Grating(FBG) based low cost structural health monitoring sensors.

WHAT IS FIBER BRAGG GRATING?

A fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is a type of distributed Bragg reflector constructed in a short segment of
optical fiber that reflects particular wavelengths of light and transmits all others. This is achieved by
adding a periodic variation to the refractive index of the fiber core, which generates a wavelength specific
dielectric mirror. A fiber Bragg grating can therefore be used as an inline optical filter to block certain
wavelengths, or as a wavelength-specific reflector.

Fiber Bragg Gratings are made by laterally exposing the core of a single-mode fiber to a periodic pattern
of intense ultraviolet light. The exposure produces a permanent increase in the refractive index of the
fiber's core, creating a fixed index modulation according to the exposure pattern. This fixed index
modulation is called a grating. At each periodic refraction change a small amount of light is reflected. All
the reflected light signals combine coherently to one large reflection at a particular wavelength when the
grating period is approximately half the input light's wavelength. This is referred to as the Bragg
condition, and the wavelength at which this reflection occurs is called the Bragg wavelength. Light
signals at wavelengths other than the Bragg wavelength, which are not phase matched, are essentially
transparent. This principle is shown in Figure.

Working of FBG

Ref: Fibre Bragg Grating Sensors Technologies,

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 Germany

The following image shows the structure of a positive

positive-only
only index change Fiber Bragg Grating. The
refractive index profile of the fiber core shows the change of the refractive index along the core. The
spectral response on the Fiber Bragg Grating shows how the incident broadband signal is split into the
transmitted and reflected components, about the Bragg wavelength.

Figure: Spectral Respose of FBG

Ref: http://en.wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiber_Bragg_grating

CURRENT APPLICATIONS OF FBG’S

Communications:

The primary application of fiber Bragg gratings is in optical communications systems. They are
specifically used as notch filters. They are also used in optical multiplexers and demultiplexers with an
optical circulator, or Optical Add-Drop
Drop Multiplexer (OADM).

Sensors:

Fiber Bragg gratings can then be used as direct sensing elements for strain and temperature. They can also
be used as transduction elements, converting the output ooff another sensor, which generates a strain or
temperature change from the measurand, for example fiber Bragg grating gas sensors use an absorbent
coating, which in the presence of a gas expands generating a strain, which is measurable by the grating.
Technically,
ically, the absorbent material is the sensing element, converting the amount of gas to a strain. The
Bragg grating then transduces the strain to the change in wavelength.

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 INE FOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF VARIOUS FBG APPLICATIONS
TIMELINE

HIGH PERFORMANCE REQUI

REQUIREMENT INDUSTRIES WHERE FBG’S
S HAVE SPECIFIC
ADVANTAGES OVER OTHER MATERIALS
MATERIALS:

Aerospace

• Aircraft structures, wing and hull (embedment in composites, light weight)

• Spacecraft (nosafety objections,EMC)
• Airship (electrical insulation,lightning safe)

Energy industry
ustry (electrical insulation, immunity to electromagnetic interference)

• Power generators, transformers, switches (multi

(multi-sensor: T, ε, vibr., flow, H2, ..)
• Wind power stations (embedment, lightning safe, multiplexing)
• Superconductors, nuclear fusion experiment (electrical insulation,EMC)

Transportation

• Railway overhead contact lines, Railway pantographs (electrical insulation)

Geo-technical
technical &civil engineering (longtransmission lines, multiplexing)

• coal mining, petrol & gas exploration (explosion

(explosion-proof, remote sensor)
• Rock-bolts / anchors

Opto-chemical monitoring

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 Figure: Current Applications of FBG

Ref: Wolfgang EckeInstitute of Photonic Technology -IPHT JenaAlbert-Einstein-Str.. 9, 07745 Jena,

Germany

FIBER BRAGG GRATINGS AS SENSORS

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Since their fortuitous discovery by Ken Hill back in 1978 and subsequent development by researchers at
the Canadian Research Center, United technologies, 3M and several others, intra-core fiber gratings have
been used

Sensing extensively in the telecommunication industry for dense wavelength division multiplexing,
dispersion compensation,laser stabilization, and erbium amplifier gain flattening, mostly at the 1550 nm,
C-band wavelength range.

However, given their intrinsic capability to measure a multitude of parameters such as strain, temperature,
pressure, chemical and biological agents, combined with their flexibility of design to be used as single
point or multi-point sensing arrays and their relative low cost, also make of FBGs ideal devices to be
adopted for a multitude of different sensing applications and implemented in different fields and
industries.

FBG-based sensors have been developed for a wide variety of mechanical sensing applications including
monitoring of civil structures (highways, bridges, buildings, dams, etc.), smart manufacturing and non-
destructive testing (composites,laminates, etc.), remote sensing (oil wells, power cables, pipelines, space
stations, etc.), smart structures (airplane wings,ship hulls, buildings, sports equipment, etc.), as well as
traditional strain, pressure and temperature sensing.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF FBG’S OVER TRADITIONAL SENSORS:

§ Immunity against, i.e., applicable in-

• Electro-magnetic fields, high voltage, lightning-Explosive

• chemically aggressive + corrosive media-High

• low temperatures-Nuclear / ionising radiation environment

§ Light-weight, miniaturised, flexible; low thermal conductivity

§ Non-interfering, low-loss, long-range signal transmission ("Remote Sensing")

§ Multiplexing capability ("Sensor Networks")

§ Embedding in composite materials ("Smart Structures")

§ Wavelength encoded –transferable measurement, neutral to intensity drifts

§ Mass producible at reasonable cost

§ Durable to high strain 5..6% ("Draw Tower Gratings", with any kind of coating)

§ High and low temperatures (4 K .. 900 °C)

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SENSORS BASED ON FBG FOR INFRATRUCTURES

Bare FBG shows good compatibility with infrastructures, but due to its fragility, bare FBG without
encapsulation (package) is not proper to be directly applied in practical infrastructures. Otherwise, we
have to develop special in-situ installation and protection techniques for bare FBGs.

Unfortunately, the “perfect” installation techniques often conflict with the in-situ construction, or it can
not meet the demand of critical schedule of construction. Besides, in order to make full use of FBG, we
should develop indirect sensors device based on FBG and combine the FBG and construction materials.
Many sensors based on FBG have been developed. Under the support of several projects related to heath
monitoring, Harbin Institute of Technology, China, has developed some practical packaged FBG sensors,
indirect sensor devices and FRP-combined sensors, which are commercially available.

Encapsulated FBG strain sensor for embedment

In order to overcome the embedment of FBG strain sensor in concrete structures, HIT has developed the
technique of mental tube encapsulated FBG strain sensor, depicted as figure.

Figure 1 Picture of mental tube encapsulated FBG strain sensor

Ref: Zhi Zhou and Jinping OU. Development of FBG sensors for Structural Health Monitoring in

civil infrastructures. Proceeding of North American Euro-Pacific Workshop “Sensing Issues

in Civil Structural Health Monitoring” , 2004, Waikiki Beach, Oahu ,Hawaii ,USA

THEORY OF FBG SENSORS

SENSOR DESIGN

The fiber Bragg grating is a device commonly used in telecommunications and sensor technology. Fiber
gratings are formed by a periodic change of the fiber cored refractive index in direction of propagation of
optical radiation. In principle, the fiber Bragg grating acts as a spectral filter that reflects particular
wavelengths of light near Bragg resonance wavelength and the rest of the optical signal spectrum is being
released. The Bragg resonant wavelength is given by:

=2
Λ (1)

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where
Bragg is the Bragg resonant wavelength, neff is the effective refraction index, and Λ is the
periodic variation of the FBG. FBGs used in sensors mostly rely on the spectral analysis of reflected light
wavelengths. The Bragg resonant wavelength is determined by various factors applied on the FBG, which
affect effectively refractive index or grating periodic variation; therefore, it is an indirect measurement
resulting from modifying physical or geometrical properties of the FBG. Among the affected factors we
have temperature, mechanical deformation (e.g., stretching, pushing, bending, and applying shear stress)
to the fiber Bragg grating. In real applications, it is difficult to separate the effects of measured and
parasitic variables that affect the same parameter (e.g., when the fiber Bragg grating deformation is
measured, temperature also affects reflected light wavelengths). Pressure measurement is always based on
the deformation of some sensing part (typically the membrane), which is afterwards measured by
principles described in the first section. Applied stress on the fiber Bragg grating in the direction of the
fiber axis results in the extension of its physical dimensions and in the change of the periodic variation;
however, the influence of temperature also affects physical dimensions due to thermal expansion.

Figure: FBG Sensor Design

Ref: Design of a Pressure Sensor Based on Optical Fiber Bragg Grating Lateral Deformation

Frantisek Urban 1, Jaroslav Kadlec 1,*, Radek Vlach 2 and Radek Kuchta 1

APPLICATIONS OF FBG SENORS

FBG sensors have been applied in many infrastructures. HIT have developed intelligent monitoring
system based FBG and applied it in several projects as follows. And more than 2000 FBGs has been used

Intelligent monitoring systems based on FBG:

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Practical devices for monitoring system based on FBGsensors Software of intelligent monitoring

system based on FBG sensors

Figure Intelligent monitoring system based on FBG sensors

Ref: Zhi Zhou and Jinping OU. Development of FBG sensors for Structural Health Monitoring in

civil infrastructures. Proceeding of North American Euro-Pacific Workshop “Sensing Issues

in Civil Structural Health Monitoring” , 2004, Waikiki Beach, Oahu ,Hawaii ,USA

FBG sensors applied in Bridges

Due to that the bridges is the key part of transportation, lots of large-span bridges are under construction
in developing countries as well as China.

With the development of structural health monitoring, the bridge owners realize the importance of adding
structural health monitoring system to the bridges under construction in order to avoid disastrous tragedy
to happen. OU has developed several structural health monitoring systems based on FBG sensors to be
applied in the several large-span bridges, shown as figure9-12, to monitor the performance of the bridges
under construction and in service.

Figure: Songhua River Bridge in Figure: Dongying Yellow River Bridge

Heilongjiang (2003) in Shandong (2003, over1800 FBGs used)

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PROJECT SUMMARY

1. DETAILED 2. CONSTRUCTION AND

DOCUMENTATION DESIGN SCHEMATIC

PROJECT
SUMMARY

3. HARDWARE AND 4. SOFTWARE AND SYSTEM

EMBEDDED DESIGN OPERATION

SPECIFIC PROJECT TASKS

INTRODUCTION:

The optical fiber sensors for the measurement of strain have been under development for a number of
years and a lot of sensing techniques have been established. Moreover, the optical fiber sensors have been
extensively employed as real-time damage detectio
detectionn tools in advanced aircraft and space vehicles. Optical
fiber sensors, with flexibility and small size, are geometrically versatile and can be configured to arbitrary
shapes to embed within the structural material for the purpose of damage assessment. The most attractive
feature of optical fiber sensors is their inherent ability to serve as both the sensing element and the signal
transmission medium. This allows the conventional instrumentation to be located remotely from the
measurement site and it is especially
ecially useful for remote monitoring of the condition of the bridges.

Many researches have been conducted on the implementation of FBG sensors for monitoring of
composite materials and concrete structures. The technology has been experimented and used in a few
construction sites to monitor aircrafts, bridges, buildings, and civil structures with some successful
results. However, more studies are needed to investigate the performance of the FBG sensors for long-
long
term stability and durability of the FBG sensor
sensors.

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At the same time, studies have been carried out in Taiwan in the last few years concerning the
manufacturing of FBG sensors, tests of the FBG properties and the index change mechanism, the
temperature measurement using FBG sensors and the development of the packaging method. Results of
these studies have offered a background to use the FBG sensors in the static and dynamic strain
measurement, and a full scale implementation to a prestressed concrete bridge is currently underway. In
this paper,, two experiments are reported to demonstrate the feasibility of using the FBG sensors in
structural monitoring applications.

1. DYNAMIC STRAIN MEASUREMENT USING FBG SENSORS

Recently, many researches have demonstrated that the FBG sensors can be used to measure the strain of a
structure under static loadings. The resolution of FBG sensors also gives a reliable data while comparing
with the traditional RSG sensors.

Under this situation, applying the FBG sensors to the dynamic measurement becomes an interesting topic
in civil engineering. Since the “smart structure” concept gradually rises up in civil engineering, there is a
need of large amount of sensors in the structure. The main reason to use the FBG sensors is that they can
solve the complex wire problems if there are hundreds of sensors on the structure. On the other hand, the
FBG sensors have another advantage: sequential measurement. This characteristic makes it possible to
measure huge data from only one fiber and make the real time measuring of large amount of data become
feasible.

In the first part of this paper, a small-scaled, three-story structure was used to study the dynamic
measurement using the FBG sensors. Figure shows the small experimental model, and the locations of the
FBG sensors are indicated in the figure.

There are two kinds of FBG sensors attached to the structure. The initial wavelengths are 1545.721 nm
and 1541.808nm.

The conventional RSG sensors (resistance strain gauges) and the accelerometers are also installed on the
structure to offer a benchmark value for comparison.

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 Figure The three-story model

After setting up all the sensors, the structure will be excited by an impact hammer to make a free vibration
test. The measurement sampling rate of the monitoring system is 100HZ and the resolution is set at 1pm
(1µε ), respectively.

2. CRACK DETECTION USING FBG SENSORS

Since the FBG sensors have another advantage of multi-points measuring, the FBG sensors are also good
candidates in crack detection. In order to prove the feasibility of using FBG sensors in crack detection, an
Aluminum plate experiment is done after the dynamic measurement using FBG sensors.

Figure shows the size of the Aluminum plate. There are four RSG sensors and four FBG sensors on the
plate. The locations of each sensor are described clearly in the figure. Two dial gauges are also used to
measure the deflection of specified locations of the plate. The distance between the RSG sensors and FBG
sensors is set as close as possible and in this case it is 1cm. This can make sure that the value measured by
the RSG sensors and the FBG sensors to be almost the same. The loading is added in the mid-span of the
plate and each step is 0.3 kg. The loading is controlled strictly to prevent the stress of the plate excess its
elastic range.

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 Figure: The specification of the plate

Two initial conditions are used to test the plate. They are 1.plate without any crack and 2.plate with two
cracks in specified locations. Both of these two conditions are tested under the same loading history.
There are ten steps to add the loading to the middle of the plate and each steps is 0.3 kg.

In order to prove how to use FBG sensors in detecting the cracks in the structure, the results will focus on
the reading of the FBG sensors. Two FBG sensors are picked up and the strain readings history is
compared.

It should be emphasized that the RSG sensors readings may also be abnormal if there is a crack near it.
But this needs to know the exact location of the crack in advance and in real situation there may be huge
difficulties to put lots of RSG sensors on the structure. Since it is possible to put large amount of FBG
sensors on structure and the FBG sensors could solve the traditional measurement time and equipment
noise problem, the FBG sensors will be more effective in detecting the structure crack and the experiment
result also prove this viewpoint.

In other words, if the distribution of the FBG sensors could be as uniform as possible, the technology of
FBG sensors measurement system could find out every random crack on the real civil structure and offer
a complete monitoring on the structure to prevent any serious damage in advance. It is known that every
big damage such as fallen bridge starts from an initial crack. If the FBG sensors could be applied on real
structure in the future, there is a belief that the monitoring system can help us to prevent some serious
damage.

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CONCLUSION

The use of fiber optic technology for the monitoring of smart structures is very promising and the future is
sure to bring further advancements and improvements. Because this is a rather new technology and few
people have experience with Bragg grating sensors, is of utmost importance to detail the practical
problems encountered during the implementation and installation of the sensors. The overall results of the
research have provided great encouragement for the continued study of the development and use of fiber
optic sensors for monitoring of smart structures.

The Bragg grating sensors themselves adapt well to use on, “smart structure”. The tests discussed in this
research show a reasonable correlation between the strain values obtained from the fiber optic sensors and
those obtained from conventional foil gauges; from a maximum difference of seven percent for a properly
applied gauge to as close as 0.9 percent for a Bragg grating sensor. The factor that most limits the use of
foil gauge is the instruments used with them. The Data Logger that was used in these tests is one of the
earlier models. It is anticipated that improvements will be achieved with other models and the
development of a demodulator chip.

The development of the optoelectronic demodulator chip will be a significant advancement in the use of
fiber optic sensors in monitoring networks resulting in cost savings and a simplification of the overall
system.

As a new kind of sensor for structural health monitoring system, popularization of FBG is still a challenge
for researchers. Following problems should be the directions of future studies on FBG:

1) Develop lowcost standard bare FBG with stable sensing coefficient;

2) Effective temperature compensation techniques for FBG strain sensors used in longterm monitoring
systems;

3) How to develop standardized FBG encapsulated sensors;

4) How to develop smart devices based on FBG to detect special parameters of infrastructures, such as
corrosions, slip, debonding, and so on;

5) How to avoid the damage of the FBG sensors and cables during constructions;

6) How to develop low-cost multi-channel interrogators when we have to face the embarrassment that we
have no choice but to cut down the number of FBG sensors along one cable, even sometimes one sensor
on one cable, which makes us not able to make full use of the advantages of

FBG;

7) How to develop large integrated FBG monitoring system and make it become the important part of the
Structural Health Monitoring System and give useful information for damage identification.

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REFERENCES

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