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Measuring the Monument: fibre optic sensor systems show why Hooke’s and Wren’s plans for a giant telescope within the Monument in London failed

Fabian, M., Coote, J. M., Thomas, P. J. , Mainelli, M., Sun, T. ORCID: 0000-0003-3861-8933 & Grattan, K. T. V. ORCID: 0000-0003-2250-3832 (2025). Measuring the Monument: fibre optic sensor systems show why Hooke’s and Wren’s plans for a giant telescope within the Monument in London failed. In: Lopez-Amo Sainz, M., Santos, J. L. & Sun, T. (Eds.), Proceedings of SPIE. 29th International Conference on Optical Fiber Sensors, 25-30 May 2025, Porto, Portugal. doi: 10.1117/12.3062881

Abstract

Fibre optic sensor systems have often been used for structural health monitoring applications, usually on bridges, in tunnels and sewers and in various infrastructure where installation is usually only affected by access. This work has tackled a problem of structural monitoring on one of London’s iconic historic buildings, where installation of the chosen fibre optic sensors had to be very carefully planned and agreed with the building owners who imposed severe limits to avoid creating any damage to the structure. Given these restrictions, a fibre optic sensor system was designed and installed to enable the accurate determination of the structural parameters of the building, solving a 350-year-old question of why the building was not able to be used for its original subsidiary purpose, from its design by Robert Hooke and Christopher Wren, as a telescope. Results of on-going research and analysis are reported.

Publication Type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Additional Information: Copyright 2025 Society of Photo‑Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only. Systematic reproduction and distribution, duplication of any material in this publication for a fee or for commercial purposes, and modification of the contents of the publication are prohibited.
Publisher Keywords: FBG-based fibre optic sensor; structural health monitoring; historic buildings
Subjects: Q Science > QB Astronomy
T Technology > TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery
T Technology > TK Electrical engineering. Electronics Nuclear engineering
Departments: School of Science & Technology
School of Science & Technology > Engineering
SWORD Depositor:
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