Fibre optic sensors in structural health monitoring

Monitoring structural health through its service life is a threshold yet to set foot in Australia, and Fibre Optics provides the cutting edge technology to achieve this target. The aim of this project was to establish a new technology on measurement system in structural health monitoring. In order to measure the internal strains, a few FBG sensors were successfully embedded in a hybrid composite beam section during its construction. The performances of FBG sensors were excellent and have not been damaged during a 100,000 cyclic loading regime.

The ability of the FBG sensors to withstand harsh operating environment and their long life span make them appropriate for structural health monitoring of hybrid composite-beams used for major civil infrastructure constructions.

Project funding

CEEFC internal project

Project investigator

Dr Jayantha Epaarachchi