Challenges and potential of fiber optic sensors for structural health monitoring of bridges: a review

Abstract

Structural health monitoring (SHM) has gained significant attention in the field of civil engineering due to effective maintenance of structures, particularly bridges. However, traditional SHM methods have limitations in providing accurate and continuous data, which has led researchers to explore new technologies, one of which is fiber optic sensor (FOS) monitoring. This paper provides a comprehensivereview of the use of FOS in bridge SHM, highlighting the challenges and potential of this technology. FOS are convenient for SHM due to their high accuracy, immunity toelectromagnetic interference, and capability of working in harsh environments. They are particularly suitable for quasi-distributive anddistributive measurement systems on capital civil engineering structures. FOS can be utilized to measurevarious parameters, including deformation, temperature, and strain. In bridge constructions, FOS can beinstalled in multiple locations. Deformation measurements using FOS can provide accurate information on the displacement and deflection of the bridge, which can help in detecting abnormalities or damages. Temperature measurements using FOS can detect effects of thermal load on bridges, which can cause significant damage. Strain measurements using FOS can help describe the stress distribution in the bridge, which can be used for maintenance purposes. FOS-based SHM systems can provide real-time and continuous data, which can help in detecting any potential problems at an early stage and preventing catastrophic failures. The use of FOS in SHM of bridges has been extensively researched and demonstrated in various studies. However, challenges such as installation, calibration, and interpretation of the data require further research. The paper will discuss the potential of FOS-based SHM systems in improving the safety and reliability of bridge constructions. It will also highlight the challenges related to FOS installation, calibration, and data interpretation and provide insights into future research directions for developing more robust and cost-effective FOS-based SHM systems.