S E C T I O N S

Inclinometers

Applications

Inclinometer components Applications for vertical inclinometers include:

  • Monitoring slopes and landslides to detect zones of movement and establish  whether movement is constant, accelerating, or responding to remedial measures.
  • Monitoring diaphragm walls and sheet piles to check that deflections are  within design limits, that struts and anchors are performing as expected, and  that adjacent buildings are not affected by ground movements.
  • Monitoring dams, dam abutments, and upstream slopes for movement during and  after impoundment.
  • Monitoring the effects of tunneling operations to ensure that adjacent  structures are not damaged by gound movements.

Applications for horizontal inclinometers include:

  • Providing settlement profiles of embankents, foundations, and other  structures.
  • Monitoring deformation of the concrete face of a dam.

System Components

  1. Inclinometer casing is installed in a borehole that passes through  suspected zones of movement. Inclinometer casing can also be embedded in fill,  buried in a trench, cast into concrete, or attached to a structure. Important  features include the diameter of the casing, the coupling mechanism, groove  precision and straightness, and the strength of the casing. See Inclinometer Casing.

  2. A portable inclinometer probe or a fixed string of in-place sensors, used to survey the casing. The first survey establishes the initial profile of  the casing. Subsequent surveys reveal changes in the profile of the casing if  movement has occured.

    The portable inclinometer probe is the standard  device for surveying the casing. It obtains a complete profile because it is  drawn from the bottom to the top of the casing. It is also economical, since it  can be carried from site to site. See Digitilt Inclinometer Probe or Horizontal Inclinometer  Probe.

    In-place inclinometer sensors are ideal for data logging  and real-time, remote monitoring for critical applications such as construction  control and safety monitoring. The costs for an in-place system are greater  because the sensors are dedicated to a particular installation.

    A spiral sensor provides readings that can be used to  correct inclinometer data obtained from spiraled casing. Spiral surveys are  recommended when the installation is very deep, when inclinometer readings  indicate movement in unlikely directions, or when difficulties were experienced  during installation.

  3. A portable readout or a data logger, used to record the surveys. The  portable readout is used with the portable probe. Advance readouts store  readings in solid-state memory, eliminating pencil, paper, and transcription  errors, and transfer the data to a computer for processing. See Digitilt  DataMate.

    A data logger is used with in-place sensors. It  monitors continuously and can trigger an alarm when it detects a change or rate  of change that exceeds a preset value. See CR10 data logger.

  4. Computer software for data reduction and graphing. Inclinometers  generate more data than do other types of sensors. A single survey may generate  several hundred data points. Over time, tens of thousands of data points are  manipulated, reduced, graphed, and archived. Slope Indicator's DigiPro software for Windows  95/98/NT is designed to speed this process.

    In-place inclinometer systems connected to  data loggers generate even more data. With such systems, near-real time  processing is usually a requirement. Slope Indicator can provide customized  software that shows location, reading, alarm status, and trend plots.

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