Single- and multiaxis fiber-grating-based strain sensors for civil structure applications

There are approximately 576,000 major bridges, 3.2 billion square feet of bridge deck, and 162,000 miles of highways making up a part of the civil infrastructure system in the United States. Fiber grating strain sensors have the ability to play an important role in the health monitoring of these structures. The advantages of fiber optic sensors including EMI resistance, unobtrusive size, multiplexing/distributed capabilities, and environmental ruggedness, make them a logical choice for structural monitoring.