Fibre-optic sensors and smart structures: Developments and prospects

The idea of `smart´ structures, which are designed to react to the conditions of their internal or external environment, has attracted considerable attention from scientists and engineers alike. In such structures of the future, integrated sensors will be utilised to monitor the `health´ of the structure, thus warning of the onset of abnormal conditions which might, for instance, compromise its safety. The paper considers one category of sensors suitable for structural integration, namely fibre-optic sensors, and examines their role in the domain of future smart structures