Kane and Beck- 1/24 INSTRUMENTATION PRACTICE FOR SLOPE MONITORING

Remote monitoring of slope movement using electronic instrumentation can be an effective approach for many unstable or potentially unstable slopes. Water levels can be observed using vibrating wire piezometers. Movements and deformation can be determined with “in-place ” electrolytic bubble inclinometers and tiltmeters, extensometers, and time domain reflectometry (TDR). All of these instruments can be attached to a programmed on-site datalogger. If pre-determined movement intervals are exceeded, the datalogger can collect readings at selected intervals and trigger an alarm or initiate a telephone message or page. These systems are self-contained using cellular telephone communications and batteries charged by solar panels. Five case studies in Central and Northern California illustrate the use and flexibility of this technology in monitoring slope stability problems. Kane and Beck- 2/2