Temperature calibration of fiber optic strain sensor for structural health monitoring

Major civil engineering structures, such as bridges constitute a significant portion of national wealth, and the cost of maintenance of these structures is very high. Structural health monitoring is a cost effective method of maintenance, and it predicts the structural integrity by early detection of degradation of health of the structure. One of the best ways of structural health monitoring is by the use of fiber optic strain sensors, which are eminently suitable for long term monitoring. However, the apparent strain due to variations in temperature at different measurement times may be very large and has to be accounted for. The apparent strain calibration curves of fiber optic strain sensors bonded to three structural materials, namely, steel, aluminium and concrete are obtained from laboratory experiments which can be used for correcting the temperature induced apparent strain from the total strain measured in the structures.