Distributed Strain Sensing in geotechnical - a first standard for fiber optic strain measurements in geotechnical engineering

The aim of this paper is to provide a recommendation for the use of Distributed Strain Sensing in geotechnical engineering. The reason for this is the increased use of this measurement method in special civil engineering. The field of distributed fiber optic sensor technology is a broad field. There are measuring methods for dynamic (time resolution in the kHz range) and non-dynamic measurements (time resolution in the MHz range up to stationary). The measurement area dealt with in this paper refers exclusively to non-dynamic strain measurements by means of distributed sensing. The article contains a brief description/comparison between single point measurement and distributed sensing. In addition, the previous field of application for Distributed Strain Sensing is briefly described and illustrated with examples. Despite a large number of their own works, the authors try to keep the references as broad as possible. In addition, the essential required fiber optic cable constructions are described and constructive hints for assembly are given. Finally, information on the minimum scope of a measurement report and the evaluation of "Distributed Strain Sensing" measurements are given. In a further contribution, it is planned to provide information on the call for tenders for the "Distributed Strain Sensing" -for measurements in geotechnical engineering - in order to provide the engineer who issued the tender with a tool to enable the planner to obtain the desired measuring method as a result of his contract award.