Optical fiber sensors for advanced civil structures

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dc.contributor.authorDe Vries, Marten J.en
dc.contributor.committeechairClaus, Richard O.en
dc.contributor.committeememberPoon, Ting-Chungen
dc.contributor.committeememberMurphy, Kent A.en
dc.contributor.committeememberWang, Anboen
dc.contributor.departmentElectrical Engineeringen
dc.date.accessioned2014-03-14T21:14:53Zen
dc.date.adate2006-06-07en
dc.date.available2014-03-14T21:14:53Zen
dc.date.issued1995-03-05en
dc.date.rdate2006-06-07en
dc.date.sdate2006-06-07en
dc.description.abstractThe objective of this dissertation is to develop, analyze, and implement optical fiber-based sensors for the nondestructive quantitative evaluation of advanced civil structures. Based on a comparative evaluation of optical fiber sensors that may be used to obtain quantitative information related to physical perturbations in the civil structure, the extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric (EFPI) optical fiber sensor is selected as the most attractive sensor. The operation of the EFPI sensor is explained using the Kirchhoff diffraction approach. As is shown in this dissertation, this approach better predicts the signal-to-noise ratio as a function of gap length than methods employed previously. The performance of the optical fiber sensor is demonstrated in three different implementations. In the first implementation, performed with researchers in the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, optical fiber sensors were used to obtain quantitative strain information from reinforced concrete interior and exterior column-to-beam connections. The second implementation, performed in cooperation with researchers at the United States Bureau of Mines in Spokane, Washington, used optical fiber sensors to monitor the performance of roof bolts used in mines. The last implementation, performed in cooperation with researchers at the Turner- Fairbanks Federal Highway Administration Research Center in McLean, Virginia, used optical fiber sensors, attached to composite prestressing strands used for reinforcing concrete, to obtain absolute strain information. Multiplexing techniques including time, frequency and wavelength division multiplexing are briefly discussed, whereas the principles of operation of spread spectrum and optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) are discussed in greater detail. Results demonstrating that spread spectrum and OTDR techniques can be used to multiplex optical fiber sensors are presented. Finally, practical considerations that have to be taken into account when implementing optical fiber sensors into a civil structure environment are discussed, and possible solutions to some of these problems are proposed.en
dc.description.degreePh. D.en
dc.format.extentvi, 146 leavesen
dc.format.mediumBTDen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.otheretd-06072006-124220en
dc.identifier.sourceurlhttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-06072006-124220/en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/38569en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.relation.haspartLD5655.V856_1995.V487.pdfen
dc.relation.isformatofOCLC# 32884238en
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectcivil structuresen
dc.subjectsensorsen
dc.subjectoptical fibersen
dc.subjectnondestructive evaluationen
dc.subject.lccLD5655.V856 1995.V487en
dc.titleOptical fiber sensors for advanced civil structuresen
dc.typeDissertationen
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten
thesis.degree.disciplineElectrical Engineeringen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.leveldoctoralen
thesis.degree.namePh. D.en

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