Continuous 3D Strain Imaging for Structural Health Monitoring of Pavements
This project proposes to advance road infrastructure monitoring by leveraging distributed fiber optic sensing (DFOS) technologies in conjunction with advanced visualization techniques. While typical assessment tools rely on surface measurements and back calculation methods to infer internal conditions, they cannot measure strains within the pavement layers directly. On the other hand, traditional localized sensors offer limited spatial coverage, missing critical information between sensing points. Embedding distributed fiber optic sensing sensors directly into pavement structures will potentially enable the acquisition of high-resolution, real-time distributed strain measurements across extended lengths, providing an unprecedented, comprehensive understanding of the infrastructure condition under traffic loads. Furthermore, the integration of distributed fiber optic sensing measurements with mapping tools will allow transportation engineers to readily identify potential damage areas and structural deficiencies, which can potentially lead to optimized maintenance scheduling, improved road safety, and reduced long-term infrastructure management costs for highway agencies. This project aims to develop methods and tools to advance road infrastructure monitoring by integrating fiber optic strain sensing with 3D visualization. To achieve this goal, laboratory testing of pavement specimens strategically instrumented with distributed fiber optic sensing while trafficked with simulated traffic loads will be conducted to generate detailed strain measurements. Key objectives include developing methods for referencing, acquiring, and processing real-time, distributed strain data from embedded fiber optic sensors to generate insightful maps capable of representing strain distributions and their evolution in response to traffic, environment, and distress. This will facilitate the early identification of structural deficiencies, ultimately supporting proactive maintenance planning for highway agencies. The project scope involves developing and validating a comprehensive monitoring and visualization framework. This includes optimizing data acquisition, creating algorithms for efficient data reduction and processing of continuous strain measurements, and designing interactive 3D visualization tools. Laboratory validation of the techniques will be conducted, with the goal of future field testing on actual test sections to demonstrate the practical applicability and benefits of the developed system for highway agencies.
- Record URL:
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Active
- Funding: $130,484.00
-
Contract Numbers:
69A3552348306 (CY3-UTEP-03)
-
Sponsor Organizations:
Southern Plains Transportation Center
University of Oklahoma
202 W Boyd St, Room 213A
Norman, OK United States 73019Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
University Transportation Centers Program
Department of Transportation
Washington, DC United States 20590 -
Managing Organizations:
University of Oklahoma, Norman
School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science
202 West Boyd Street, Room 334
Norman, OK United States 73019 -
Project Managers:
Ghasemi, Hamid
- Performing Organizations: El Paso, TX United States
-
Principal Investigators:
Nazarian, Soheil
Tirado, Cesar
- Start Date: 20260101
- Expected Completion Date: 20270101
- Actual Completion Date: 0
- USDOT Program: UTC
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Data collection; Fiber optics; Image analysis; Pavement condition; Sensors; Strain measurement; Structural health monitoring
- Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Pavements;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01975764
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: Southern Plains Transportation Center
- Contract Numbers: 69A3552348306 (CY3-UTEP-03)
- Files: UTC, RIP
- Created Date: Jan 6 2026 5:23PM