This paper gives an overview over industrial applications of distributed fiber-optic strain sensing in structural health monitoring, outlining both the benefits of the technology and its challenges regarding installation of the fiber-optic sensing cables and limitations of the measurement technology itself.

With a focus on the Brillouin Optical Frequency Domain Analysis and Reflectometry (BOFDA/R) as the specific technology for distributed strain sensing in optical fibers, we discuss the nature of distributed sensing data and its characteristic performance parameters such as spatial resolution, strain accuracy, temperature cross-sensitivity, measurement speed and optical attenuation budget. These theoretical considerations are illustrated with a number of use cases from field assignments of the technology in tunnelling, static load tests of pile foundations, and load measurements in pre-stressed concrete beams.