Earth­quakes can dam­age pipelines with dis­as­trous con­se­quences to the envi­ron­ment and human health. Real-time mon­i­tor­ing of dam­age to pipelines after an earth­quake can be obtained via fiber optic sen­sors, which are sen­si­tive to strain at every point along their lengths. The sen­sors are both bonded to the pipeline and embed­ded in the soil near the pipeline. Two val­i­da­tion tests have now con­firmed the abil­ity of the method to reli­ably detect the loca­tion of dam­age to a pipeline.

Branko Glisic and Yao Yao. Fiber optic method for health assess­ment of pipelines sub­jected to earthquake-induced ground move­ment.  Struc­tural Health Mon­i­tor­ing Novem­ber 2012 vol. 11 no. 6 696–711 Pub­lished online before print August 15, 2012, doi: 10.1177/1475921712455683

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