Professor Tripp Shenton, Chairman of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Delaware, is a visionary when it comes to life-long monitoring of important civil structures. The Indian River Bridge that parallels Delware’s Atlantic beaches is an example of his vision being realized.

A new video details how strain, temperature, displacement, acceleration and other critical sensors became an integral part of this 2km long structure – and why Micron Optics’ fiber optic sensor technology was selected as means to deliver the needed measurements.

The University of Delaware, DelDOT, and Micron Optics’ integrators Cleveland Electric Labs and Chandler Monitoring Systems were among the key players that made the installation a success. If you’re considering SHM options for a civil structure project, or have an interest in fiber Bragg grating sensors for another application, this video is well worth a look.

Indian River Bridge on YouTube

6/26/2012 ETA – updated link to latest version of video