Field assessment of fibre-optic Bragg grating strain sensors in the Confederation Bridge

Abstract

Due to the severe environment in which it stands, this unique structure has been extensively instrumented in order to monitor its condition over its service life of 100 years. Fibre-optic strain gages were installed by ISIS Canada as part of a project to assess the feasibility of using this type of sensor for monitoring civil engineering structures. This note briefly describes the Bragg grating strain sensor system and the procedure used for embedding these sensors in the concrete. (A)