Unique Capability

The SPAR Lab features the following specialized equipment:

  • A distributed strain and temperature measurement system (up to 25 km in distance) based on the Brillouin and Rayleigh scatterings of light as it propagates through a single-mode optical fiber,
  • An ultra high sensitivity and high frequency response acoustic sensing system (up to 1 km in distance) using an optical fiber with a distributed air and mechanical amplifier for acoustic wave,
  • A complete line of the development, fabrication, calibration, analysis, and application of grating-based fiber optic sensors,
  • A fully integrated loading/sensing or corrosion/sensing calibration system, and
  • Multiple measurement devices (acoustic, electromagnetic, magnetic, optical, and radar) for a complete assessment of structural behaviors, including cracking, yielding, buckling, fatigue, corrosion, and scour.