ABSTRACT
The common definition of a fiber optic sensor, as found in Wikipedia “is a sensor that uses optical fiber either as the sensing element (“intrinsic sensors”), or as a means of relaying signals from a remote sensor to the electronics that process the signals (“extrinsic sensors”)”. Today, the technologies of intrinsic fiber optic sensors offer interesting benefits when compared with traditional sensors. The main advantages are small size, electrically passive operation, electromagnetic immunity, flexibility, corrosion resistance, etc. Fiber optic sensors can be used to perform local or distributed measurements with precision in a wide range of strain and temperature. Moreover, the technologies of fiber optic sensors become more and more efficient and reliable. All these elements contribute to a growing interest in fiber optic sensors. Several fiber optic sensor technologies have already been used for structural health monitoring and surveillance with positive results. The most promising technology is the distributed sensing technique because in one acquisition, a lot of measurement points can be obtained along a long length of fiber optic (up to 2 km).
