Optical Carrier Based Microwave Interferometry for Spatially Continuous Distributed Monitoring of Structural Health

该奖项的目标是开发用于结构健康监测（SHM）的强大，可嵌入的分布式传感器，以确保国家关键基础设施的持续安全运营。基于光载波微波干涉测量（OCMI）的新概念，所开发的传感器具有长期期望的高测量分辨率，用于研究正常载荷下的结构行为，用于诊断极端载荷下的结构完整性的大应变能力，以及在大跨度上的空间连续性（无暗区），用于综合评估结构整体的健康状况。 OCMI的基本物理将被研究，以了解其传感应用的全部功能。将探讨各种工程选项，以制定最佳的设计，最大限度地提高分布式传感能力。基于聚合物光纤（POF）的OCMI传感器将被设计、开发和表征，用于大应变和裂纹检测的分布式测量，以证明新的OCMI概念对SHM的有效性。如果成功，这项研究的结果将导致一种使能SHM技术，以确保国家日益恶化的基础设施的安全运行，并在救灾和紧急疏散期间为关键任务服务提供便利。该研究将建立一个深入的理解，设计集成微波光学系统的各种传感需求。 分布式裂纹检测和量化将使用灵活和强大的POF为基础的OCMI传感器与增强的可部署性，嵌入性，可靠性和大应变能力。在这项研究中开发的基础知识和方法也可以转移到其他关键应用SHM，如分布式监测力，载荷，疲劳和腐蚀。

The objective of this award is to develop robust, embeddable, distributed sensors for structural health monitoring (SHM) to ensure continuing safe operations of the nation's critical infrastructures. Based on the novel concept of optical carrier based microwave interferometry (OCMI), the developed sensors have the long-desired high measurement resolution for studying structural behaviors under normal loads, the large strain capability for diagnosing the structural integrity under extreme loads, and the spatial continuity (no dark zones) over a large span for comprehensive evaluation of the health status of the structure as a whole. The fundamental physics of OCMI will be studied to understand its full capabilities for sensing applications. The various engineering options will be explored to formulate an optimal design for maximized distributed sensing capability. Polymer optical fiber (POF) based OCMI sensors will be designed, developed and characterized for distributed measurement of large strain and crack detection to demonstrate the effectiveness of the new OCMI concept for SHM.If successful, the results of this research will lead to an enabling SHM technology to ensure the safe operation of the nation's deteriorating infrastructures, and facilitate mission-critical services during disaster responses and emergency evacuations. The research will establish an insight understanding to design integrated microwave-optics systems for various sensing needs. Distributed crack detection and quantification will be implemented using flexible and robust POF based OCMI sensors with enhanced deployability, embeddability, reliability and large strain capability. The fundamental knowledge and methodologies developed in this research are also transferrable to other critical applications in SHM such as distributed monitoring of force, load, fatigue and corrosion.