Structural monitoring of composite marine piles using fiber optic sensors

Chris Baldwina, Toni Polosoa, Peter Chena, John Niemczuka, Jason Kiddya, and Carl Ealyb a Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc.; b Federal Highway Administration

ABSTRACT
This paper discusses structural health monitoring data obtained using an optical fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor system consisting of sensors embedded in the filament-wound composite marine pile. A composite marine pile is a tube containing a cement core that is used to support bridges, piers, and other structures. This system has applications for structural health monitoring of these structures. This paper presents the results of tests that retrofit two existing composite piles with 30 Bragg grating sensors. Each pile was retrofitted with three arrays, two arrays consisting of 6 gratings and one consisting of 3 gratings for strain and temperature measurements, respectively. Grooves were cut in the piles to allow for adhesive installation of the sensor arrays, and fiberglass cloth tape was laminated over the arrays to protect the optical fiber during the pile driving process. Data were collected prior to and during the pile driving process using a commercial off-the-shelf FBG interrogation system. The purposes of these tests were to (1) determine the survivability of the sensor arrays during the pile driving process, (2) measure residual strains on the filament wound composite tube following the pile driving process, and (3) determine whether structural integrity issues are observed from the strain data. Keywords: Bragg gratings, health monitoring, structural sensing, composite pile, embedded sensors

1. INTRODUCTION
While the desirability of long-term structural monitoring is widely recognized, field prototype demonstrations have been limited to date. Most notably, a handful of bridge systems were retrofit with optical sensors such as the Woodrow Wilson Bridge,1-3 a steel bridge on Interstate 10 in Las Cruces, New Mexico,1 and a concrete bridge at Headlingly in Manitoba, Canada4. These demonstrations, along with other projects sponsored by the TRB IDEAS program, using extrinsic FabryPerot,5-7 Optical Time Domain Reflectometry,8 Bragg gratings,9 and other sensor configurations, have shown that optical sensors can effectively replace conventional strain gages in short-term field environments. Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc. (SPA) has been expanding research efforts in the field of structural health monitoring. Through the use of Bragg grating fiber optic sensors, SPA personnel are developing systems for a variety of structural health monitoring applications including U.S. Navy vessels10 and civil structures. Previous work has demonstrated the feasibility of embedding fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, mounted on steel reinforcing bars, into cement piles.11 The piles were formed by pouring cement into inground molds and placing steel reinforcing bars (with mounted sensors) into the mould for cure. These piles were approximately 1.5 feet in length and were tested in tension and compression with loads exceeding 1,000 lbs. The composite piles tested under this effort exceeded 10 feet in length and were mechanically driven into the testing pit. The goal of this current project is to assess the feasibility of using Bragg grating fiber optic sensor technology to monitor the health of composite pile structures. To accomplish this goal issues of sensor attachment, survivability, and functionality are addresses. Composite piles are concrete columns with a composite fiber over-wrap. They are manufactured by first creating a hollow composite cylinder and then filling the cylinder with cement core that expands. The expansion of the core provides an internal stress state that maintains the cement core in compression and provides a sufficient bond to the filament-wound composite shell. Figure 1 depicts the conceptual design of the SPA health monitoring system for these types of civil structures. Embedded fiber optic sensors in the structure can be interrogated on site by a data processing unit. The data recorded by the instrumentation can then be continuously uploaded, via the Internet. An alternative approach for the data collection would be to trigger the data upload following a structural load event. SPA has worked recently on developing software systems to transmit data packets, via a wireless connection, following a high strain event on a structure. Our proposed monitoring system is designed to be embedded directly into composite piles during the manufacturing process, offering a unique capability not possible with conventional sensors such as resistance strain gages. A key advantage of this

cbaldwin@spa-inc.net; phone 301-474-1310 x26; fax 301-474-3209; http://www.spa-inc.net; Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc., 7331 Hanover Parkway, Suite D, Greenbelt, MD, USA, 20770.
Smart Structures and Materials 2001: Smart Systems for Bridges, Structures, and Highways, S. C. Liu, Editor, Proceedings of SPIE Vol. 4330 (2001) 2001 SPIE 0277-786X/01/$15.00

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approach is that these integral fiber sensors will not be subject to the survivability challenges present in conventional, surface-mount strain gages. The high sensor density capability of the embedded, multiplexed optical sensors will enable measurement of the distributed strain profile over the entire pile length, including the soil-pile interface. This capability, not available with existing technology, will be used to identify slippage between the composite shell and the concrete core. We note that the components being developed through this research effort will be directly applicable to monitoring other large civil structures such as bridges and highway retaining walls. With remote interrogation capability, additional cost savings can be gained by scheduling need-based maintenance, rather than preventive inspections. Finally, the high sensor density and random address capability will allow inspectors to pinpoint potential damage areas efficiently.

Modem

Fiber Optic Data Bus Data Processing Unit

Remote Monitoring Computer

Composite Bridge Pile

Data Transmission Node

Figure 1. Conceptual Bridge Pile Health Monitoring System

2. INTRODUCTION TO FIBER BRAGG GRATING TECHNOLOGY

Fiber Bragg gratings are fabricated by exposing bare fiber to a periodic intensity profile produced by coherent interference12. The refractive index of geranium doped optical fiber core changes where the intensity is brightest to produce a periodic refractive index profile13. The pitch of the grating, , is controlled during the manufacturing process and is typically ~0.5 m, whereas the amplitude of the periodicity is only on the order of 0.1 to 0.01 percent of the original refractive index. Bragg gratings operate by acting as a wavelength selective filter that reflects a single wavelength, called the Bragg wavelength, B . The Bragg wavelength is related to the grating pitch, , and the mean refractive index of the core, n, by B = 2n . Both the fiber refractive index (n) and the grating pitch () vary with changes in strain (zz) and temperature (T), such that the Bragg wavelength shifts left or right in wavelength space in response to applied thermo-mechanical fields. For a Bragg grating sensor bonded to the surface of a structure, the strain and temperature are related to the change in the Bragg wavelength by
B = Pe zz + [Pe ( s F ) + ]T B

where s and f are the coefficients of thermal expansion of the structural material and fiber, respectively, is the thermaloptic coefficient, and Pe is the strain-optic coefficient13. For standard Bragg grating sensors bonded to a steel structure, the coefficients in front of the strain and temperature are 0.98 and 17.79 / oC. From these values, it is clear that 1oC produces a change in Bragg wavelength equivalent to 22.5 . This level of thermal apparent strain is unprecedented in resistance strain

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gage applications and must be accounted for through controlled experiments, dummy gages, or more advanced dualparameter fiber optic sensor transducer designs.

3. FABRICATION AND ATTACHMENT OF THE OPTICAL FIBER SENSOR ARRAYS

The experimental set-up included two 11-foot composite piles, each retrofitted with two fiber Bragg grating (FBG) strainsensing arrays and one FBG temperature-sensing array. Each of the strain-sensing arrays consisted of six FBGs, and each temperaturesensing array consisted of three FBGs, spaced as shown in Figure 2. Because of the thermo-optical sensitivity of the Bragg gratings, separate temperature measurements were necessary to subtract this effect from the strain-sensing arrays. Each Bragg grating possesses a characteristic wavelength that allows for serial multiplexing which in turn allows one fiber to interrogate many FBGs of different Bragg wavelengths. A 19-foot optical lead was used on each sensor array. Each array was placed into 1.2 mm furcation tubing to provide further protection, especially during the pile driving process, and also to protect the optical lead at the ingress/egress point. The FBGs in the strain-sensing arrays were bonded inside the furcation tubing with Loctite 3761 UV-curing epoxy. The epoxy was injected into the tubing using a hypodermic needle and then cured with a UV lamp. The FBGs in the temperature-sensing arrays were not bonded to the furcation tubing in order to prevent them from picking up mechanical strain. By only reading temperature changes, the temperature-sensing array data could be used to adjust the strain-sensing array data for temperature effects.
Strain Sensors
30 ft
1 ft 10 in 1 ft 2 ft 2 ft 1 ft 2 in

19 ft

3 ft

Temperature Sensors
4 ft 19 ft 3.5 ft 2.5 ft 1 ft

Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs)

Bare fiber outside the composite pile

Note: Not drawn to scale

Figure 2. Composite Pile Sensor Array Layout

Each pile contained three longitudinally placed grooves, spaced 90 about its circumference. The grooves on Pile 1 were machined to accommodate the furcation tubing whereas the grooves on Pile 2 were only machined deep enough for bare fiber. The original design was to use bare fiber for Pile 2, and it was later decided to add furcation tubing for increased protection. The piles were thoroughly cleaned and treated prior to bonding of the fiber optic sensor arrays. Each sensor array was then laid into a groove and bonded down using Measurements Group AE-10 epoxy. The AE-10 was applied directly over the FBGs for the strain-sensing arrays, while it was intentionally applied away from the FBGs for the temperaturesensing arrays. To further protect the arrays, fiberglass cloth tape was placed over each groove. Each array had a 19-foot lead bare fiber at the top of the pile to allow measurements to be taken with bare fiber adapters. Figure 3 shows one array in a groove with the fiberglass cloth tape and bare fiber lead. Care was taken to egress the fibers prior to the end of the array to facilitate installation of the pile driving hardware.

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Optical Lead

Fiberglass Tape

Machined Groove

Figure 3. Retrofitted FBG Array with Fiberglass Tape

The measurements were taken using a Fiber Bragg Grating-Interrogation System (FBG-IS), a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) Bragg grating sensor read-out system produced by Micron Optics, Inc. (Figure 4). The FBG-IS is based on a scanning, dithered Fiber Fabry-Perot filter technique originally developed by the Naval Research Laboratory14. The FBG-IS is roughly the size of a laptop computer, weighs less than 4 pounds, is capable of multiplexing more than 30 gratings in a 100 Hz bandwidth, and has a minimum strain resolution of 1. The operational temperature of the present model is 10 to 40C.

Figure 4. Micron Optics, Inc. FBG-IS Demodulation Unit with Laptop PC Interface

4. EXPERIMENTS AND RESULTS

To prove the feasibility of using fiber optic sensors on composite marine piles, a set of tests were performed with the retrofit specimens. All tests took place at the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (McLean, Virginia). The first test involved loading each pile transversely, in 3-point bending, to ensure that the fiber optic strain sensors were functioning properly. The second test consisted of driving each composite pile into a sand testing pit. The final test involved recording the in-ground strain values from the FBGs on the composite piles after pile driving. Each of these tests is discussed in detail in the following sections. 4.1 Transverse load test A 3-point bend test was performed to ensure that all the retrofit FBGs had survived the application process and were measuring strain accurately. The pile was supported near the ends, and weights were placed at the center of the pile. The pile was oriented such that the strain-sensing arrays were located at the top and bottom as seen in Figure 5. The test consisted of gradually applying weights and then removing them while recording the shift in wavelength, hence strain, of each Bragg grating using the FBG-IS. The test was repeated twice for each strain-sensing array. The temperature arrays were then each connected to the FBG-IS and strained manually by pressing the center of the pile to ensure that there was no shift in wavelength due to mechanical strain. All the temperature sensing FBGs were intact and none displayed any sensitivity to

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mechanical loads. The strain-sensing array data was then converted into strain and plotted verses the applied weight. The total weight at each load level is given in Table 1.

Top Sensor Array (Compression)

Applied Load
Figure 5. Transverse Load Test

Load Level 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Weight (lbs) 5.06 10.10 15.17 20.22 25.27 30.32 35.37 40.36
Table 1. Total Weight at Each Load Level

Figure 6 shows the strain seen by gratings near the center of Pile 2 where the bending moment was greatest. The positive strain data corresponds to a Bragg grating in the bottom groove in tension, while the negative strain data corresponds to a similar Bragg grating on the top groove in compression. Data was taken at a rate of 1 Hertz with each point on Figure 6 corresponding to a data point. The weights were applied at 10-15 second intervals to allow many data points to be taken at each load level in order to resolve the strain clearly. The results show that the gratings were reading an 8-step function of strain, consistent with the addition of the 8 weights described above with a maximum strain of around 80 microstrain for the bottom groove and 60 microstrain for the top groove at a load level of 40.36 pounds. The difference between these two maximum values results from each of these sensors being at slightly different locations along the length of the composite pile. Each Bragg grating was observed to return to its original wavelength, displaying no appreciable hysteresis.

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Microstrain vs Time Pile 2, Center FBG

100

80

60

40

Microstrain

20 Bottom Groove Top Groove 0 0 -20 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5

-40

-60

-80 Time (min)

Figure 6. Strain of Bragg Grating Sensors Located near the Center of the Pile

Figure 7 shows the strain measured by a grating on Pile 1 near the support. As expected, almost no strain is recorded with this grating. To further demonstrate these two results, Figure 8 displays the strain versus weight of similar sensors on each strain-sensing array for Pile 1. The sensors that are near the center of the pile show a greater strain increase with weight than the sensors located towards the edge. It is important to note that the sensors near the edge in Figure 8 are not the closest to the pile supports and therefore showed more strain than the sensor in Figure 7. These results conclusively demonstrated that the strain-sensing arrays survived the retrofit process and were measuring strain accurately.
Microstrain vs Time Pile 1, Groove 1, Grating 6
45

35

25

15 Weight Test Microstrain 5

-5 0

0.5

1.5

2.5

3.5

-15

-25

-35

-45 Time (min)

Figure 7. Strain of a Bragg Grating Sensor Located near the Pile Support

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Microstrain vs. Weight

80

60

40

Top Groove

20 Microstrain Edge of Pile 0 0 -20 Bottom Groove -40 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 Center of Pile Edge of Pile Center of Pile

-60

-80 Weight (lbs)

Figure 8. Strain of Bragg Grating Sensors on Pile 1 vs. Weight

4.2 Pile driving test The main objective of this effort was to determine whether the fiber optic sensor arrays could survive the pile driving process. Each retrofit composite pile was set in the sandpit with a driving mechanism supported by a crane above it, as shown in Figure 9. The driving process consisted of a 125-pound weight cyclically dropped onto the pile, driving it into the sand. Each pile was driven into the sandpit in about 20 minutes. To test the capabilities of the system even further, one strain-sensing array was monitored on Pile 1, using the FBG-IS, during the actual driving process.

Driving Weight

Support Crane

Pile

Fiber Lead

Figure 9. Drive Test Set-up

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Figure 10a shows the strain reading of each sensor on the monitored pile throughout the driving process. The sensors are labeled 1-6 from the top of the pile to the bottom, respectively. The first break in the data (approximately 3 to 5 minutes) was caused by a shift in the driving mechanism, making it necessary to stop the test to realign the entire apparatus. The second break in the data (at approximately 19 minutes) occurred when the driving process was completed and the drop weight and apparatus were removed. Data was then taken to record the final strain under no load from the driving weight. This data demonstrates that it is possible to multiplex six FBGs along one sensor array and retrieve data during the driving process. In order to enlarge the scale to clearly display the results, the data from FBG 1 and FBG 2 were removed in Figure 10b. All data is shown with temperature effects included. Each sensor shows a significant increase in strain coinciding with the loading of the driving mechanism onto the pile. The data taken during the driving process shows the strain of the pile at each sensor location. It is not clear at this time whether the strain is due to pure axial loads or if bending effects are present. The sensors closer to the top of the pile show more strain. Before drawing any conclusions from this, Pile 1 was monitored after the driving apparatus was removed. Figure 11 shows that the in-ground pile is straight at the bottom and bends at the top. This corroborates the results from the drive test that the sensors increase in strain from bottom to top, respectively. After the weight was removed at the end of the driving process, all sensors saw a significant decrease in strain. It should be reiterated that the importance of this test was to demonstrate the ability of the fiber optic sensors to survive the composite pile driving process and to demonstrate that the addition of the fiber optic sensors did not detrimentally affect the structural integrity of the composite pile. Not only did the sensors survive this test, but they were also able to record strain data throughout the driving process. Additional tests are being planned to further investigate the strain effects during the pile driving process. Following the driving test, the composite piles were visually examined for adverse effects to the structure of the composite pile. Based on these tests and the strain values recorded from the Bragg grating sensors, it has been concluded that no structural effects were caused by the inclusion of the fiber optic sensor arrays. The composite piles will be more closely examined when they are removed from the sandpit.

Microstrain vs. Time

0 0 5 10 15 20 25

-500

-1000 Microstrain

FBG 1 FBG 2 FBG 3 FBG 4 FBG 5

-1500

FBG 6

-2000

-2500 Time (min)

Figure 10a. Pile Drive Test Strain Results All FBGs

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Microstrain vs. Time

0 0 -50 5 10 15 20 25

-100

-150 Microstrain FBG 3 -200 FBG 4 FBG 5 FBG 6 -250

-300

-350

-400 Time (min)

Figure 10b. Enlarged Pile Drive Test Strain Results

Distance from Base vs Microstrain
10

6 Distance (ft)

Pile 1, Groove 1

0 -2000 -1500 -1000 Microstrain -500 0 500

Figure 11. In-Ground Strain Data for Pile 1

4.3 Post-drive (in-ground) values Following the pile drive test, each array was connected to the FBG-IS system to record the residual in-ground strain values. On Pile 1, one of the strain-sensing array fiber lead was broken at the ingress/egress location. This optical fiber lead was damaged during the transit of the pile from the instrumentation room to the sandpit. No data is available at the present time from this sensor array because of the fiber break. As discussed earlier, Figure 11 shows the in-ground strain data from the intact array on Pile 1. Figure 12 shows the in-ground strain data for the two strain-sensing arrays in Pile 2. The arrays are positioned 180 relative to one another allowing for a determination of bending effects. Figure 12 shows that the strain in the two grooves proceeds in opposite directions, indicating the existence of a bend in the composite pile. This conclusion leads to the determination that a portion of the strain measured during the driving test is actually due to the bending of the pile.

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The first two data points of Groove 3 are most likely too large. Unfortunately, it was impossible to examine the sensors because they were located near the bottom of the buried composite pile.
Distance from Base vs. Microstrain Pile 2
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 -2000 -1500 -1000 Microstrain -500 0 500 Groove 1 Groove 3

Distance (ft)

Figure 12. In-Ground Strain Data for Pile 2

The shifts in wavelength of the temperature-sensing arrays were too large to produce reasonable results, indicating that they measured mechanical strains. Although the temperature-sensing arrays were strained prior to the drive test and showed little change, they were stressed by manually pressing on the center of the array with less force than the static weight test, which experienced maximum strains of 80 microstrain. The strain levels observed from the in-ground data are an order of magnitude higher, with strain as high as 700 microstrain. The inability to resolve and compensate for temperature effects from the strain data was a source of error for the above data because no temperature compensation could be made from the original wavelength values read in the indoor, heated instrumentation room and the outside, colder temperature. The temperature-sensing array most likely picked up mechanical strains due to the fiberglass tape binding the array tightly to the pile.

5. CONCLUSION
The main purpose of the test was to demonstrate the survivability and functionality of fiber optic sensors monitoring the structural loads on composite marine piles. To demonstrate these capabilities, two composite piles were retrofit with fiber Bragg grating sensor arrays. These composite piles were then tested in 3-point bending, driven into the sandpit test facility, and monitored for in-ground residual strain values. Based on the results of these tests, fiber optic sensor systems can not only survive the harsh conditions of the pile driving process, but also maintain their functionality, providing useful data on the installation and operational loads. The results of the tests discussed in this paper demonstrated the ability to detect bending loads on the composite piles following the pile driving procedure. Another key result of these tests is the ability to monitor the strain of a composite pile as it is being driven into the ground. Additional tests are planned for the near future involving embedding fiber optic sensor arrays in the composite shell during the filament winding fabrication process. This capability will enable the composite piles to be fitted with health monitoring fiber optic sensors without the need to cut grooves into the composite matrix, greatly reducing the time required to fabricate an instrumented pile. Finally, it should be recognized that this technology is not limited to composite piles, but can be implemented on many structural components, such as bridges, buildings, space structures, and naval vessels.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors wish to thank the Federal Highway Administration, Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center, for providing the test articles and facilities.

REFERENCES
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Federal Highway Administration, Research and Technology program Highlight, McLean, VA, Turner-Fairbanks Highway Res. Institute, 1996. Davis, M.A., Bellemore, and Kersey, A.D., Distributed Fiber Bragg Grating Strain Sensing in Reinforced Concrete Structural Components, Journal of Cement and Concrete Composite, 1997. Alampalli, S., Gu, G., and Dillion, E.W., On the Use of Measured Vibrations for Detecting Bridge Damage, Fourth International Bridge Conference, Vol. I, Washington D.C., Transportation Research Board, 1995. Rizkalla, S., and Tadros, G., First Smart Bridge in Canada, ACI Concrete International, Vol. 1696) pp. 42-44, 1994. Grossman, B.G., Huanh, L. T., Cosentino, P.J., von Eckroght, W., 3-D Structural Strain Measurement with the Use of Fiber Optic Sensors, Transportation Research Board Record 1536, 1997. Choquet, P., et al, New Fabry-Perot Fiber-Optic Sensors for Structural and Geotechnical Monitoring Applications, TRB Record 1596, 1997. Signore, J.M., Roeslar, J.R., Using Fiber-Optic Sensing Techniques to Monitor Behavior of Transportation Systems, TRB Record 1478, 1995. Lou, K.A., Development of a Novel Fiber-Optic Strain Sensor System for Long-Term Monitoring of Highway Structures, NCHRP-IDEA Program Project Final Report, 1997. Nawy, E.G., and Chen, B., Fiber Optic Sensing of Prestressed-Prisim-Reinforced Continuous-Composite Concrete Beams for Bridge Deck Application, Transportation Research Record 1574, 1997.

10. Baldwin, C., et al., Structural Testing of an LPD-17 Propulsion Propeller Using Bragg Gratings and Digital Spatial Wavelength Domain Multiplexing (DSWDM), to be published in SPIEs 8th Annual International Symposium on Smart Structures and Materials, Industrial and Commercial Applications of Smart Structures Technologies, March 2001. 11. Oh, J, et al., Analysis of Pile Load Transfer using Optical Fiber Sensor, Smart Structures and Materials, Smart Systems for Bridges, Structures, and Highways, Vol. 3988, pp. 349-358, 2000. 12. Meltz, G. R., Morey, W. W., and Glen, W. H., Formation of Bragg Gratings in Optical Fibers by a Transverse Holographic Method, Opt. Ltrs., 14, pp. 823-825, 1989. 13. Hill, K.O., Malo, B., Bilodeau, and Johnson, D.C., Photosensitivity in Optical Fibers, Ann. Rev. Mater. Sci., 125, 1993. 14. Kersey, A. D., et al., Multiplexed Fiber Bragg Grating Strain Sensing System with a Fabry-Perot Wavelength Filter. Optics Letters, 18, p. 1370, 1993.

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