Real-time damage assessment using fiber optic grating sensors

Over the past few years Blue Road Research and the University of California at San Diego have been collaborating to develop a bridge health monitoring system using long gage length fiber optic strain sensors and modal analysis. Two programs supporting this effort have been funded by the National Science Foundation and from this work several papers have been published showing its strong progress1-5. In 2002, the Federal Highway Administration and Caltrans performed a full-scale test on some of the components that will be used for the planned I-5/Gilman Advanced technology Bridge in California, USA. As a part of this test Blue Road Research used its developmental system to validate the use of this damage detection technique and to compare the results with conventional modal analysis tools.