A new real-time debris flow and avalanches detection system based on optical fiber sensing

The real-time detection of potentially destructive water, earth and snow mixtures such as debris flow and avalanches is a topic of growing interest to mitigate the risk in anthropized areas such as the Alpine region. In view of this, a new cutting-edge debris flow and avalanche detection system, called OPTIALP, was developed. The proposed system exploits the polarization variations induced on the fiber by mechanical vibrations, for the automatic detection along their propagation path of potentially destructive snow and soil-water mixtures. One of the main values-add of the OPTIALP system is the “quasi distributed” and spatially continuous detection along the whole fiber which improves the current monitoring technologies relying on "discrete" monitoring points and sensors. The OPTIALP system was designed and thoroughly tested in the laboratory environment by means of a specific setup. Over 650 tests were carried out and a new signal processing algorithm developed in Matlab environment capable to interpret the data acquired was created. The results showed that the OPTIALP system is able to correctly identify the signals produced by lab-scale mass movements.