Infrared thermometry for breakage detection of optical fibers embedded in structures

Abstract

We show that infrared thermometry can be used to detect a breakage point of an optical fiber embedded in a structure. Around the breakage point, incident light induces heat, which is detected using an infrared thermometer. By this method, we can obtain the position information of a breakage point, including the accurate information where it is located in the actual structure, on a real-time basis. We experimentally show the practical usefulness of this method by detecting a breakage point of an optical fiber embedded in a composite structure comprising carbon fiberreinforced plastics.