A novel optical fiber accelerometer system for monitoring civil infrastructure

Abstract

This paper presents a novel optical fiber accelerometer system for monitoring large-scale civil infrastructure such as utility lifelines, highway bridges, and buildings. Particularly suitable applications are in environments where conventional electric accelerometers cannot be used due to strong electromagnetic (EM) interference, electric spark-induced explosion risk, and cabling problems. The proposed optical fiber accelerometer represents a novel integration of the moire phenomena and fiber optics to achieve a robust performance in addition to its immunity to EM interference, easy cabling, and low cost. All of these make the proposed sensor ideal for applications in civil infrastructure monitoring. A prototype sensor system has been developed, together with a real-time signal processing software equipped with a unique compensation filter to increase the sensor's dynamic bandwidth. The experimental studies demonstrated the high-performance of the optical fiber sensor system