Development and sensing properties study of FRP–FBG smart stay cable for bridge health monitoring applications

There are many shortcomings in using traditional force sensors and bare optic fiber Bragg grating sensors (OFBGS) to monitor the stresses in bridge stay cables. In this paper, we propose to use the glass fiber with high durability and high intensity to embed the optic fiber grating sensor. First, the craft procedure of the GFRP–OFBGS and the layout methods among the bridge stay cables are described. Second, the sensing properties of the GFRP–OFBGS with different diameters were studied through experiments. Third, stretching experiments were carried out on the smart stay cables. The test results demonstrated that the whole procedure of the stretching test can be perfectly monitored, and the quantities of the cable tension can be recorded accurately. Finally, we investigated the craft procedure of the GFRP–OFBGS sensor layout in ErBian DaDu river bowstring arch in SiChuan province, China. The whole stretching procedure was successfully monitored during construction.