Road deformation monitoring and event detection using asphalt‐embedded distributed acoustic sensing (DAS)

Structural Control and Health MonitoringEarly View e3067 RESEARCH ARTICLE Road deformation monitoring and event detection using asphalt-embedded distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) Peter G. Hubbard, Peter G. Hubbard orcid.org/0000-0003-3537-8225 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California, USASearch for more papers by this authorRuonan Ou, Corresponding Author Ruonan Ou ouruon@berkeley.edu orcid.org/0000-0001-7985-0988 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA Correspondence Ruonan Ou, University of California, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 408 Davis Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. Email: ouruon@berkeley.eduSearch for more papers by this authorTianchen Xu, Tianchen Xu Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California, USASearch for more papers by this authorLinqing Luo, Linqing Luo orcid.org/0000-0002-7073-6588 Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USASearch for more papers by this authorHayato Nonaka, Hayato Nonaka orcid.org/0000-0002-2061-2528 Kajima Corporation, Tokyo, JapanSearch for more papers by this authorMartin Karrenbach, Martin Karrenbach Optasense Inc., Brea, California, USASearch for more papers by this authorKenichi Soga, Kenichi Soga Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California, USASearch for more papers by this author Peter G. Hubbard, Peter G. Hubbard orcid.org/0000-0003-3537-8225 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California, USASearch for more papers by this authorRuonan Ou, Corresponding Author Ruonan Ou ouruon@berkeley.edu orcid.org/0000-0001-7985-0988 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA Correspondence Ruonan Ou, University of California, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 408 Davis Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. Email: ouruon@berkeley.eduSearch for more papers by this authorTianchen Xu, Tianchen Xu Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California, USASearch for more papers by this authorLinqing Luo, Linqing Luo orcid.org/0000-0002-7073-6588 Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USASearch for more papers by this authorHayato Nonaka, Hayato Nonaka orcid.org/0000-0002-2061-2528 Kajima Corporation, Tokyo, JapanSearch for more papers by this authorMartin Karrenbach, Martin Karrenbach Optasense Inc., Brea, California, USASearch for more papers by this authorKenichi Soga, Kenichi Soga Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California, USASearch for more papers by this author First published: 03 August 2022 https://doi.org/10.1002/stc.3067Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Summary Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) is a new technology that is being adopted widely in the geophysics and earth science communities to measure seismic signals propagating over tens of kilometers using an optical fiber. DAS uses the technique of phase-coherent optical time domain reflectometry (φ-OTDR) to measure dynamic strain in an optical fiber as small as nε by examining interferences in Rayleigh-backscattered light. This technology is opening a new field of research of examining very small strains in infrastructure that are much smaller than what is currently able to be measured with the commonly used Brillouin-based fiber optic sensing technologies. These small strains can be indicative of infrastructure's performance and use level. In this study, a fiber optic strain sensing cable was embedded into an asphalt concrete test road and spatially distributed dynamic road strain was measured during different types of loading. The study's results demonstrate that φ-OTDR can be used to quantitatively measure strain in roads associated with events as small as a dog walking on the surface. Optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR), a widely implemented but less accurate distributed fiber optic strain monitoring technology, was also used along with traditional pavement strain gauges and 3D finite element modeling to validate the φ-OTDR pavement strain measurements. After validation, φ-OTDR strain measurements from various events are presented including a vehicle, pedestrian, runner, cyclist, and finally a dog moving along the road. This study serves to demonstrate the deployment of φ-OTDR to monitor roadway systems. Open Research DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Early ViewOnline Version of Record before inclusion in an issuee3067 RelatedInformation