This paper reports on the application of distributed Brillouin fiber optic sensing to the monitoring of geotechnical structures. The presented approach to Brillouin sensing offers an alternative to the common pulse-based measurements by using the frequency domain analysis.
The focus of the research and field-testing work is to collect reliable structural health monitoring data from large-scale structures while preserving the System’s versatility in terms of being suitable for different application environments (soil structures, foundations, concrete construction works, pipelines etc.) and its robustness in being well functioning in harsh environments. Upon reviewing the presented application test, it is concluded that Brillouin frequency domain based monitoring, when applied to geotechnical structures, is capable of providing accurate strain readings representing deformations of the soil body, and reliable temperature readings for generating temperature profiles of the entire structure.
An overview of the frequency domain analysis of Brillouin sensing and its digital implementation is given, along with the experiences and insights drawn from an open field test of sensor-equipped geogrid mats.
We propose a new scheme of Brillouin optical frequency-domain analysis (BOFDA) for distributed fiber-optic strain and temperature sensing, named linear-configured BOFDA (L-BOFDA). In conventional loop-configured BOFDA, light injection into both ends of a fiber under test (FUT) is needed for counter-propagation of pump and probe waves. In contrast, in L-BOFDA, pump and probe waves are injected into the same end of an FUT, and the probe wave Fresnelreflected (or mirror-reflected) at the other end of the FUT is exploited; thus, one-end access is feasible. We show proof-of-concept results of distributed strain measurement in a silica single-mode fiber with L-BOFDA, and discuss the signal-to-noise ratio degradation and the benefit in developing distributed Brillouin sensors based on polymer optical fibers.
BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, in cooperation with the company MeGaSen UG carries out a research project to enhance and validate an innovative approach for distributed subsurface monitoring of gas storage areas. The concept combines different measurement technologies to one multifunctional sensor: membrane-based gas measurement technology for in-situ monitoring of gases in soil and fiber optical sensing of temperature and strain (as a measure for structural change). Key aspect of the research project is the first-time validation of the system in an application relevant dimension. For this purpose a 20 x 20 m2 test field is build. A comprehensive validation of the system is carried out by systematic variation of different parameters like position-dependent gasinjection, temperature and mechanical impact.