A POF-based distributed strain sensor for detecting deformation of wooden structures

摘要

This report presents a feasibility test of the distributed strain sensor based on plastic optical fiber (POF) for detecting deformation of wooden structures. First, a simple method to fix POF cable onto wooden structures is developed, where the dimensions of the fixing plate are determined so as to minimize the OTDR responses due to the fixing tool as well as the slip between the POF cable and the structure. Second, the authors focus on a new function "memory effect" of the POF-based strain sensor. The strain once applied to the POF cable is memorized through the plastic deformation of the core material, and can be read out using OTDR even after the event. The characteristics of the memory effect and its life are discussed experimentally for tensile strain. Third, in this report, we showed that a 5-point measurement with the spatial resolution of around 5 m was possible for the axial elongation imposed on the POF. Then, we apply the present method for detection of deformations of wooden frame structures. We try to detect the direction and magnitude of deformations at four corners of a rectangular wooden frame using a POF cable and OTDR. The availability of the memory effect in multipoint measurements on wooden structures is also discussed.