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Review
. 2019 Feb 20;19(4):877.
doi: 10.3390/s19040877.

Review of Fiber Optic Sensors for Structural Fire Engineering

Yi Bao  1 , Ying Huang  2 , Matthew S Hoehler  3 , Genda Chen  4
Affiliations
Review

Review of Fiber Optic Sensors for Structural Fire Engineering

Yi Bao et al. Sensors (Basel). .

Abstract

Reliable and accurate measurements of temperature and strain in structures subjected to fire can be difficult to obtain using traditional sensing technologies based on electrical signals. Fiber optic sensors, which are based on light signals, solve many of the problems of monitoring structures in high temperature environments; however, they present their own challenges. This paper, which is intended for structural engineers new to fiber optic sensors, reviews various fiber optic sensors that have been used to make measurements in structure fires, including the sensing principles, fabrication, key characteristics, and recently-reported applications. Three categories of fiber optic sensors are reviewed: Grating-based sensors, interferometer sensors, and distributed sensors.

Keywords: fiber optic sensors; high temperature; intelligent sensors; smart structure; structural fire engineering.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Optical fiber: (a) Typical cross section; (b) waveguide principle.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Illustration of reflection of fiber Bragg gratings (FBG).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Application of FBG sensors in structural fire testing: (a) Gas temperature [11], (b) surface-attached on concrete beams [35], and (c) embedded in reinforced concrete beams [36].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Application of long-period fiber gratings (LPFG) sensors in structural fire [56]: (a) Test set-up, and (b) instrumentation.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Illustration of Fabry-Perot Interferometers (FPIs): (a) Extrinsic (E)FPI; (b) intrinsic (I)FPI.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Application of EFPI for large strain measurement in a fire experiment of steel plates.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Illustration of Core-Cladding-Mode Interferometers (CCMIs): (a) Mach-Zehnder interferometer; (b) Michelson interferometer.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Configurations for in-line Mach-Zehnder interferometers: (a) A pair of LPFGs; (b) core-offset; (c) core diameter mismatch with larger core fiber; (d) core diameter mismatch with smaller core fiber; (e) air-hole collapsing of PCF; (f) cavities formed in core by femtosecond laser; (g) cavity formed at core-cladding interface by femtosecond laser; (h) fiber tapering.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Example configurations for in-line Michelson interferometers: (a) Long-period fiber grating; (b) core-offset; (c) core diameter mismatch; (d) fiber tapering.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Light scatterings in optical fiber.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Applications of distributed fiber optic sensors in structural fire testing of: (a) Steel beam [125], and (b) reinforced concrete beam [126].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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