SBIR Phase I:Acoustic Emission and Stress Sensor for Civil Structures

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project concerns the development of a new Bragg grating-based technology consisting of optical fibers and integrated optical polymer waveguides. The proposed sensor system can be used for acoustic emission monitoring and inspection of large civil structures made of steel and concrete such as bridges, dams, towers, freeways, and buildings. The hybrid Bragg grating sensor system is expected to demonstrate high sensitivity to stress waves in a wide frequency range, from DC to 2MHz. The proposed technology can be extended to include the growing market involved in acoustic emission, ultrasonic testing, medicalultrasonic imaging, and other NDT equipment testing technology. A secondary market sector that can utilize the integrated optical waveguide technology is optical cross connect and fiber optic instrumentation.