Real-Time Monitoring of Wind-Induced Vibration of High-Voltage Transmission Tower Using an Optical Fiber Sensing System

Abstract

High-voltage transmission towers in coastal areas can be damaged by destructive hurricanes and strong seasonal winds. With real-time condition monitoring systems, severe and critical damage can be detected in the early stage, and appropriate solution taken. In this paper, we investigate the possibilities for real-time monitoring of wind-induced vibration of transmission towers, using an all-optical fiber sensing system. The optical sensing probe is made by splicing coaxially a thin-core fiber, with tilt fiber gratings inscribed into its core, to a lead-in single mode fiber. We experimentally demonstrated that our sensor can provide linear response higher than 97% over a range of 0.1-6.5 m/s <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> . Finally, in collaboration with a power grid company, we demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed all-optical fiber sensing system during field trials.