The International Symposium on Nondestructive Testing in Civil Engineering

The International Symposium on Nondestructive Testing in Civil Engineering is coming to Zurich, Switzerland. We will have the opportunity to present and discuss the following paper: „Distributed Fibre Optic Nerve-Sensors as Non-destructive Tool for Crack Detection and Widths Estimation”.
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In present times, due to the dynamic development of advanced technologies, engineers are focused on designing smart infrastructure able for self-diagnostics. Distributed fibre optic sensing (DFOS) is one of the most promising techniques as it allows for direct local damage detection – for example, cracks in concrete structures. However, it is possible only when using appropriate monolithic sensors made of high-elastic composite. Such sensors create a system, which could be compared to the nervous system of the human body, informing about any threats at any point. Composite sensors resistant to corrosion, when integrated with the monitored structure, are a reliable solution for long-term monitoring and non-destructive testing, providing data from even thousands of measurement locations per one meter of the sensor.
The article describes the design of unique composite Nerve-Sensors dedicated to civil engineering and geotechnical applications. Non-destructive testing capabilities of these sensors were proven in hundreds of laboratory and in situ applications, including bridges, prestressed girders, roads, highways, collectors, pipelines, embankments, and many other smart structures. Selected case studies focused not only on crack detection but also on the estimation of their width, are described in our the article.