Use of Inclinometers for Geotechnical Instrumentation on Transportation Projects. State of the Practice: Fid-Bau Portal

Use of Inclinometers for Geotechnical Instrumentation on Transportation Projects. State of the Practice

G. Machan / V. G. Bennett

Instrumentation of geotechnical structures in the field has been beneficial in evaluating the movements and failures in the structures under real field conditions, as well as assessing the performance of new materials and methods used in the design and construction of geostructures. Instrumentation that monitors ground deformation response has been used mainly for slope stability studies of natural slopes and performance assessments of earth and pavement structures and the use of new materials such as lightweight embankment materials and construction methods such as mechanically stabilized earth wall systems and deep soil mixing. The Transportation Research Board's (TRB) Soil and Rock Instrumentation Committee initiated the development of an e-circular on the use of inclinometers to facilitate technology transfer to state department of transportation (DOT) engineers and researchers responsible for designing the instrumentation of geotechnical and pavement structures. This e-circular documents the state of the practice and representative applications on the use of inclinometer systems for measuring ground deformation and performance of geotechnical design elements on transportation projects. Inclinometer components and installation details are described. Information on planning inclinometer installation, acquiring and displaying data, and interpreting test results is provided. Additional references are cited for different areas of interest.