LUNA Fiber Optic Sensors Monitor Structural Integrity of New Composite Material Bridges

Luna Innovations (NASDAQ: Luna) has partnered with the University of Tennessee (UT) and the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) to equip a new fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite bridge structure with integrated high-density fiber optic sensors. These sensors will monitor and capture critical performance and safety data of the composite bridge structure over time, providing a sustainable monitoring solution for urban infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and tunnels.

A new composite material demonstration bridge will be launched in Morgan County, Tennessee, replacing a concrete bridge that has been damaged for decades. Government officials, private enterprises, and researchers are collaborating on this project, which aims to design a bridge that can be built quickly and at a low cost. Luna’s fiber optic sensors will be used for structural health monitoring of this demonstration bridge, ensuring that it operates safely and within established performance parameters over the long term.

Scott Graeff, President and CEO of Luna, stated:

The demonstration bridge utilizes advanced composite materials and a low-maintenance design concept, with an expected lifespan of up to 100 years. The bridge structure system is equipped with Luna’s high-resolution, high-speed fiber optic sensors to monitor the usage of the composite bridge structure in real time. The fiber optic sensors, which are part of the bridge structure, are easy to install during the construction process, embedded within the building materials to detect and report on structural health, thus creating a more “intelligent” infrastructure. A 10-meter long distributed fiber optic sensor can detect the strain effects of mechanical loads or moisture loads at thousands of distributed locations with extremely high precision. Additionally, wireless technology developed by UT will remotely monitor the bridge system’s response and traffic flow via cloud computing.

FRP materials have a distinct advantage in constructing durable and economical lightweight bridge structures. Bridges built with composite materials offer significant benefits for later maintenance projects, as well as site preparation and installation work, thereby reducing the necessary equipment and labor. Faster and higher quality construction not only saves substantial costs but also meets the safety demands of urban traffic.

Dayakar Penumadu, a researcher at the IACMI Materials and Processing Group and Professor at Tickle College of Engineering, believes:

High spatial resolution fiber optic sensing systems are very suitable for monitoring and analyzing composite structures. Using Luna’s ODiSI measurement system, a distributed sensing system can be deployed to simultaneously obtain strain data from thousands of distributed points under mechanical loads or moisture loads, with extremely high precision. Additionally, fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors combined with high-speed HYPERION demodulators can capture dynamic phenomena and response data of the bridge, providing the necessary durability and performance data to facilitate the successful integration of new advanced materials in urban infrastructure.

Luna, as one of the partners in this composite material demonstration bridge, will participate in the design, manufacturing, transportation, installation, and monitoring of the bridge. The installation project is expected to be completed by the end of 2020 or early 2021.

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About GTL Technology & Service Co., Ltd.

Founded in 2015, GTL is a high-tech enterprise that integrates the sales and testing services of fiber optic communication testing equipment, polarization testing instruments and devices, and fiber optic sensing equipment. Its products are applied in various fields including silicon photonics technology, microwave photonics, optical devices/modules production testing, composite structure testing, new energy technology, and structural health monitoring. As the only designated agent and technical service center for LUNA in the Asia-Pacific region, GTL provides advanced testing instruments such as distributed fiber optic sensing equipment, fiber Bragg grating sensor demodulators, optical vector analyzers, backlight reflectometers, and polarization measurement instruments, as well as tunable filters, swept laser sources, aviation corrosion sensing systems, and fiber Bragg grating sensors. GTL is committed to providing professional testing technology services and complete application solutions for clients in the optical communication and fiber sensing fields. Currently, it has established close cooperation with many domestic universities, research institutes, and manufacturing units, adhering to the concepts of win-win, integrity, and excellence, and sincerely serving customers.