A Highly Integrated BOTDA/XFG Sensor on a Single Fiber for Simultaneous Multi-Parameter Monitoring of Slopes

A highly integrated sensing technology, combining a stimulated Brillouin scattering-based distributed sensor with XFG (fiber Bragg grating (FBG) and long-period fiber grating (LPFG)) sensors on a single fiber, is proposed for the simultaneous measurement of fully distributed and multiple discrete dynamic strains/temperatures. A multiparameter monitoring scheme for slope safety is developed using this integrated sensing technology. An indoor simulation test is carried out to verify its ability to simultaneously monitor a slope’s surface displacement, an anchor reinforcement’s axial force, and rockfall vibration. The experimental results show that distributed static strain and discrete dynamic strain can be well-measured simultaneously with little interference. The results also demonstrate the XFG sensors’ capability for multi-type and multipoint multiplexing. In addition, the proposed hybrid sensor system has potential for the monitoring of multiple slope parameters simultaneously.