Sensors Provide a Sustainable Solution for Aging Infrastructure
The
“Luna’s sensing solutions deliver data and insight not available with conventional data acquisition and monitoring systems,” said
Due to the use of technologically advanced composites, the bridge deck system has a 100-year lifespan and a low-maintenance design. The system is equipped with Luna’s high-definition and high-speed fiber optic sensors for real-time monitoring of the composite deck system while in service. The sensors are easy to install during the manufacturing process and become part of the structural components, thus creating “smart” infrastructure and enabling the constituent building materials to report their structural health from within. A single 10-meter sensor can provide strain from mechanical loading or thermal/hygroscopic loading from thousands of locations simultaneously with exceptional precision. In addition, wireless technology developed at UT will be utilized for monitoring the response of the bridge system and traffic counts remotely via cloud computing.
FRP materials will be used to create a durable, sustainable, cost-effective lightweight bridge structure. By using composite materials, the bridge replacement project will require less equipment and less time for on-site preparation and on-site installation. Quicker completion can result in significant savings to safely meet transportation needs for this rural community.
“Lack of durability data is one of the major barriers of the adoption of novel and advance materials including
Penumadu added, “this is a major obstacle for integrating new materials and structures quickly and thus require successful demonstration as being done through this IACMI project. Bridge decks are the most damage prone elements and we are integrating smart sensors distributed throughout the composite bridge deck that will provide us valuable performance data with time for years to come.”
High-definition fiber optic sensing is ideally suited to monitor and characterize composite structures. Using Luna’s ODiSI measurement system, a single 10-meter sensor can provide strain from mechanical loading or thermal/hygroscopic loading from thousands of points simultaneously with exceptional precision. In addition, fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors combined with Luna’s high-speed HYPERION interrogator can capture dynamic phenomena and additional bridge response data. Together, these systems will deliver the durability and performance data needed to facilitate the integration of new, advanced materials in civil infrastructure.
The installation of the composites bridge deck is expected to be completed late 2020 or in early 2021.
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The statements in this release that are not historical facts constitute “forward-looking statements” made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements include Luna's expectations regarding its technical and product capabilities and their long-term strategic value. Management cautions the reader that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and are subject to a number of both known and unknown risks and uncertainties, and actual results, performance, and/or achievements of Luna may differ materially from the future results, performance, and/or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors. These factors include, without limitation, technological and strategic challenges and those risks and uncertainties set forth in Luna’s Form 10-Q for the quarter ended
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