Effects on the integrity of the structure by embedding optical fibres will also be studied numerically. The project is funded by the Academic Research Fund Committee. The group members have a sound research background in experimental and numerical stress analysis. The project was initiated in late 1996 and is scheduled to be completed in three years. Initial studies have identified a plethora of Fiber Optic Strain Sensor of which the Optical Time Domain Reflectometry based Strain Sensor has been initially investigated with interesting results.
Optical techniques have a long history in engineering measurement.
The two workhorses of optical methods - photoelasticity and moir , were developed in the early part of the nineteenth century by Brewster for testing of glass and Hooke for verification of the Hooke's law. However only photoelasticity gained industrial prominence fueled by developments in the aerospace and nuclear industries in the early 1950's and was included in the curriculum of many Universities. But with the advent of the Finite Element Method, the popularity of the method faded. Developments in lasers, fiber optics semi-conductor and electronic technology and the ubiquitous use of the digital processing have revived the techniques with novel optical system design and applications. Three major sensors will be designed and developed using the current state of art optical and electronic technology.