Atlanta, GA - May 26, 2011

Micron Optics, Inc., a leader in fiber optic sensing technology, announces successful structural health monitoring of the Vicksburg I-20 Bridge during a recent barge collision. The optical monitoring system integrated and installed by Chandler Monitoring Systems, Inc. (CMS) comprising of Micron Optics’ optical sensing technology to provide real-time monitoring for dynamic assessment of the bridge’s structural health.

Only months after installation of the optical monitoring system was completed, barges pushed by a towing vessel broke free upstream of the Vicksburg I-20 Bridge, and one grain-filled barge became lodged against a structural support pier. This impact was immediately detected by Optical Strain Sensors and Optical Accelerometers installed on the bridge. Sensor alarm limits were triggered, automatically moving cameras to view and record the events that were occurring at the support pier. At the same time the sensing system promptly notified CMS, the Louisiana Department of Transportation, and other engineering organizations with a need to know. The bridge was immediately closed to traffic in order for engineers to inspect physical damages and analyze data gathered by the optical monitoring system.  Within hours of the impact officials reopened the bridge to the 20,000 vehicles that cross the bridge daily; however, the barge remained lodged against the pier for over three weeks.

After the successful salvage of the barge, District Engineer Administrator Marshall Hill of the Louisiana DOT commended the optical sensing system installed by CMS stating “Our ability to continuously monitor the structural integrity of the bridge proved invaluable and allowed us to minimize the adverse impacts to traffic travelling on Interstate 20. The structural health monitoring system on the Interstate 20 Bridge has certainly proved its tremendous value during this incident.”

The Vicksburg I-20 Bridge’s monitoring system incorporates Micron Optics’ high-speed sm130-500 optical sensing interrogator and 80 Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) based optical sensors measuring strain, temperature, acceleration, displacement, and tilt. Continue to the Vicksburg Bridge Case Study  located on the Civil Infrastructure Application Examples page of the Micron Optics website or, for a more in-depth review, to Chandler Monitoring System’s Applications Page to learn more about the optical sensing system used in the structural health monitoring of the Vicksburg Bridge. 

About Micron Optics, Inc.
Micron Optics’ optical sensing and imaging products make impossible measurements possible, revealing new, critical information for Infrastructure, Energy, Transportation, Medical and Industrial sectors. Since 1990, Micron Optics has been expanding its core capabilities from tunable optical components and leading-edge instrumentation and software, to complete optical sensing systems. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, Micron Optics is a privately held company. For more information, visit http://www.micronoptics.com//.

Micron Optics is a trademark of Micron Optics Incorporated.

About Chandler Monitoring Systems, Inc.
Chandler Monitoring Systems is an innovative applications company offering the most current, state of the art turnkey monitoring systems and solutions deployed in aviation, energy, environmental, structural, civil, transportation, aerospace and security industries. In addition to the consultation, integration, design, installation and monitoring services offered, CMS also provides training services for organizations that wish to maintain and monitor their customized system with their own personnel. For more information, visit http://www.chandlermonitoring.com/.

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers under Concurrent Technologies Corporation. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Army Corp of Engineers.

Contact:
Andrew Peterson – Sales
Micron Optics, Inc.
+1-404-325-2117
apeterson(at)micronoptics(dot)com

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