dual-use telecommunication fiber optics for structural performance assessment - ed.1

DIPARTIMENTO DI ARCHITETTURA, INGEGNERIA DELLE COSTRUZIONI E AMBIENTE COSTRUITO

The full-day workshop will be held on May 14, 2026 at Politecnico di Milano, Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering (DABC). The program features keynote presentations from internationally recognized experts followed by a panel discussion. Morning session (9:00–13:00): Opening and welcome by A. Kanyilmaz (PoliMi). H. Ceylan (PoliMi) will present the MSCA-PF project FORESIGHT and its research framework for fiber-optic structural health monitoring. S. Donadello (INRIM) will present laser interferometry on telecommunication fibers for structural sensing applications. Afternoon session (14:00–18:00): G. De Roeck (KU Leuven) will present vibration-based structural health monitoring, modal analysis, and system identification from distributed fiber-optic data. C. Gentile (PoliMi) will discuss operational modal analysis and long-term SHM of civil structures. A. Hortacsu (Applied Technology Council) will address post-earthquake assessment frameworks, safety classification schemes, and pathways for integrating SHM data into decision-making. The day will close with a panel discussion among all speakers on open challenges and future directions for dual-use fiber-optic structural monitoring.

The workshop "Dual-Use Telecommunication Fiber Optics for Structural Performance Assessment" brings together leading international researchers and industry experts to explore the emerging paradigm of using existing fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) telecommunication networks as distributed sensing systems for structural health monitoring (SHM). Unlike conventional approaches that require dedicated sensor installations, this paradigm leverages the millions of kilometers of optical fibers already deployed in urban environments, enabling city-scale structural performance assessment without additional infrastructure costs. The event is organized within the research activities of the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship project FORESIGHT (Fiber-optic Based Structural Health Monitoring Using Home Internet Infrastructure), led by Politecnico di Milano. The objective is to facilitate scientific exchange among experts spanning the full research pipeline: from telecom fiber-optic infrastructure and laser interferometry, to distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) technologies, to structural dynamics and vibration-based monitoring, to post-earthquake safety assessment and decision-making protocols. By convening specialists from geophysics, structural engineering, metrology, photonics, and industry, the workshop aims to identify key scientific challenges, share state-of-the-art methodologies, and establish collaborative pathways for advancing dual-use fiber-optic sensing from laboratory validation to operational deployment in seismically active urban areas.

Politecnico di Milano - Building 5 - Room Castigliano - Piazza Leonardo Da Vinci 32 - 20133 Milano

Director: ALPER KANYILMAZ

DIPARTIMENTO DI ARCHITETTURA, INGEGNERIA DELLE COSTRUZIONI E AMBIENTE COSTRUITO

ALESSANDRO MENGHINI

4358

alessandro.menghini@polimi.it