This article aims to help system integrators and engineers choose the right components for multi-physics optical monitoring solutions. This is crucial, as all major structures – such as bridges, buildings, pipelines, and tunnels – are exposed to factors that cause strain and degradation. Without reliable and accurate monitoring of strain, temperature and other physical parameters, malfunctions and structural issues might not be detected, resulting in disasters.
In the following, we’ll discuss structural health monitoring (SHM) as a discipline, and we’ll show you how a typical optical Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) based measurement chain – hosting several sensors in one optical fiber, interrogators, and PC software – can easily be designed.