Abstract
We present a portable and low-cost system for interrogation of long-period fiber gratings (LPFGs) costing around a 30th of the price of a typical setup using an optical spectrum analyzer and a broadband light source. The unit is capable of performing real-time monitoring or as a stand-alone data-logger. The proposed technique uses three thermally modulated fiber-coupled laser diodes, sweeping a few nanometers around their central wavelength. The light signal is then modulated by the LPFG and its intensity is acquired by a single photo-detector. Through curve-fitting algorithms the sensor transmission spectrum is reconstructed. Testing and validation were accomplished by inducing variations in the spectral features of an LPFG through changes either in external air temperature from 22 to 425 °C or in refractive index (RI) of the surrounding medium from 1.3000 to 1.4240. A dynamic resolution between 3.5 and 1.9 °C was achieved, in temperatures from 125 to 325 °C. In RI measurements, maximum wavelength and optical power deviations of 2.75 nm and 2.86 dB, respectively, were obtained in the range from 1530 to 1570 nm. The worse RI resolution obtained was 3.47 × 10 -3 . The interrogation platform was then applied in the detection of iron corrosion, expressing wavelength peak values within 1.12 nm from the real value in the region between 1530 and 1570 nm. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Abstract
Optical fiber sensors (OFS) based on long-period fiber gratings (LPFG) or on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) represent attractive solutions for detection systems in remote areas. An interrogation system consisting on wavelength modulation of fiber coupled distributed feedback (DFB) lasers was implemented and tested. The system uses a single photodetector to individually acquire the intensity of each DFB laser modulated by the OFS and the real transmission spectrum is reconstructed through curve fitting. Testing was accomplished by measuring the spectral features of an LPFG when changing the surrounding refractive index and errors lower than 1.8 nm in the 1530 to 1570 nm wavelength region were obtained.

Abstract
In the last few decades, the alkali–silica reaction (ASR) has been reported as one of the major concrete concerns regarding durability, leading to high maintenance and reconstruction costs. The occurrence of ASR in numerous concrete infrastructures all over the world points to the need for research regarding measures for its detection in an initial stage (and further mitigation) either in new or existing structures. Furthermore, the chemical and physical mechanisms for ASR remain poorly understood. This lack of knowledge leads to incapacity to assess risk, cost-effectively predict service life, and efficiently mitigate the deterioration process due to ASR in concrete structures. This manuscript aims to review the most recent and relevant achievements and the existing knowledge concerning the reaction mechanisms of ASR. Additionally, this manuscript is focused on the conditioning factors, diagnostic and prognostic methodologies, preventive measures and test methods (including their limitations) of ASR conducted at an academic level. The perspectives for future research challenges are also identified and debated. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd

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