Smart Fiber-Based Sensor Systems for Hydraulic Engineering

Abstract

A wide variety of damage mechanisms occur in hydraulic structures. The most important of these are pre-damage/assembly, crack/leakage, slope failure, erosion, groundwater intrusion into walls, etc. Depending on the application, the use of smart fiber-based sensor systems to sense undetectable damage can prevent high financial losses. By using smart fiber-based sensor systems in hydraulic structures, the users of this technology are able to continuously monitor the condition of the structures and derive extrapolations for required maintenance. As a result, undesirable conditions such as leakages in water distribution systems, dams and dikes can be avoided and measures for repair and maintenance can be planned in a more targeted and cost-efficient manner. In addition, the application of intelligent sensor systems leads to performance-based design and operation of hydraulic structures, since sensor technology can be used to obtain information about the condition of the structure and actual load cases. In this article, different fiber-based sensor systems are presented which can be used in particular for monitoring tasks in hydraulic engineering.