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Abstract

Infrastructure operators such as the Autobahn GmbH of the Federal Government in Germany depend on being able to use as much information as possible about the existing infrastructure for planning and maintenance. In addition to the existing non-destructive measurements, monitoring with sensor technology built into the infrastructure can also provide useful information for efficient maintenance planning. As part of a feasibility study, various setups of new developments in fiber-optic sensors were installed in a rehabilitated autobahn section in order to investigate traffic-related information as well as long-term integrity. In addition to temperature monitoring during the road construction, strain and acoustic measurements were recorded and evaluated during defined crossings of traffic. The preliminary results show that traffic relevant information such as the counting of passing vehicles, their velocity, vehicle type and axle load can be derived from the fiber-optic data. Furthermore, the results suggest that relevant parameters about the elastic properties of the roadwork (Young’s Modulus and material fatigue) can be extracted. At the present time, considerable efforts are still required for data preparation and data analysis to apply this monitoring technology permanently. This is the objective of the current and future development stages.