Multiplexed Fiber Optic Sensor System for Structural Health Monitoring of Ships

IFOS will demonstrate the feasibility of optical fiber based distributed network of sensors for load monitoring of ship structures. The proposed IFOS fiber optic sensor system will be reliable and durable in a sea environment, capable of monitoring a minimum span of 400 ft with miniature cost-effective non-intrusive sensors, will have good sensitivity and dynamic range (sub-microstrain to thousands of microstrain), and be reconfigurable, adaptive and scalable up to 500 sensors, with good frequency response. The innovative IFOS approach involves a miniaturized interrogator with parallel photonic signal processing implemented by integrated optic chips and includes ruggedized fiber sensing cables with many sensing elements. Other attributes include EMI resistance and have minimal wiring and maintenance requirements. In Phase I, IFOS will demonstrate a feasibility prototype for 50 sensors on a large cantilever beam with 200 Hz sampling based on an innovative hybrid multiplexing scheme. This will be extended in Phase II to a dynamically reconfigurable fiber optic sensor system for 500 sensors.