Movements in geological areas are often caused by shear zones deep in the underground or by hardly observable slipping zones. Detection of movements reaching critical values is of crucial importance to avoid losses and harms. Optical sensor fibers with gauge lengths of several meters or even distributed fiber-optic sensors with gauge lengths of hundreds of meters allow detecting deformation of such zones with quite good resolution. The paper presents a new technology of detecting deformations and movements in soil or rock massifs. The core part of the sensing system is a tiny pultruded rod with an outer diameter of 3 mm to 6 mm. It contains two fiber-optic sensor systems. One sensor system is used for permanent online measurement and provides integral strain information along the whole length of the rod; in case of critical deformations, it provides a warning signal. The second sensing system uses fiber-optic Bragg grating (FBG) strain sensors located close to the expected shear zone. This measurement system will be activated after the warning signal has been initiated by the integral strain measurement system. The FBG strain sensor system records then resulting deformations in detail. The sensing rod containing both sensor systems can be installed in a borehole to detect beginning soil movements automatically. The electronic equipment is powered by a solar panel; the amount of deformation in soil or rock formations can be estimated from the strain change measured in the sensor fibers. The effectiveness of this warning system will be shown using the example of a critically sliding slope in an open brown coal pit in Germany.
Mit einem auf Lagrange-Multipiikator-Tests basierenden Monitoring von Brücken ist es gelungen, in Belastungsversuchen an einer Holzbrücke (7,25 m Spannweite), an der relativ kleine Schädigungen künstlich herbeigeführt worden waren, die Zuverlässigkeit dieser Art des Monitorings zu bestätigen. Ausgangspunkte waren Messung von Durchbiegungen sowie Krümmungen und die Zusammenführung der jeweiligen Regression mit Nebenbedingungen, die den mechanischen Bedingungen gehorchen, unter Einschluss von Lagrange-Multiplikatoren, die sich als brauchbare Testparameter erwiesen.
Innovative structural damage detection of bridges by least squares adjustment with constraints
(2016)
Long-term monitoring of bridges requires the early detection of spreading damage because very often the damage is not really visible. For many decades engineers and scientists relayed on dynamic methods especially modal ones. However, after fundamental tests by the U.S. FHWA in 1993, it became evident that more successful methods should be developed, but no innovation really happened. A substantial innovative detection method started four years ago from Lagrange Multiplier Testing which eventually resulted in experimental verification based on measurement of deflection and curvature of the bridge beam and together the methodological combination of both.
The project "SealWasteSafe" of the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM, Berlin) deals with sealing structures applied for underground disposal of nuclear waste from two perspectives: (1) material improvement for application in sealing constructions and (2) feasibility study regarding multi-sensor approaches to ensure quality assurance and long-term monitoring.
One specimen of 150 l made of alkali-activated material, which was found innovative and suitable for sealing constructions based on preliminary laboratory studies, and, for comparison purpose, another one made of salt concrete, are manufactured with an integrated multi-sensory setup for quality assurance and long-term-monitoring. The specimens were left in their cast form and additionally thermally insulated to simulate the situation in the repository. The multi-sensory concept comprises RFID technology embedded in the specimens suppling material temperature and moisture measurements, integrated fibre optic sensing allowing strain measurement and acoustic emission testing for monitoring possible crack formation. Overall, the suitability and the functionality of the sensors embedded into and attached to strongly alkaline (pH > 13 for the AAM) and salt corrosive (NaCl) environment was proven for the first 672 h.
First temperature measurement based on RFID succeeded after 626 h for the alkali-activated material and after 192 h for the conventional salt concrete. Strain measurement based on distributed fibre optic sensing turned out the alkali-activated material with > 1 mm m-1 undergoing approximately twice the compression strain as the salt concrete with strains < 0.5 mm m-1. In contrast, the acoustic emission first and single hits representing crack formation in numbers, was found for alkali-activated material half of that detected at the salt concrete.