Real-Time Structural Health Monitoring of Landslides and Geotechnical Assets with ShapeAccelArrays

As the impacts of failing geotechnical infrastructure become more apparent, Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is now more commonly being applied to geotechnical assets: levees, earth dams, landslides, and foundation soils. In particular, real-time monitoring programs are now becoming considered essential for monitoring the performance, or identifying impending failure, of high-risk geosystems. This paper presents several case studies of real-time monitoring of embankments and slopes on Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) projects using MEMS-based in-place inclinometer, ShapeAccelArray (SAA), systems. Background on the SAA inclinometer-accelerometer array system is presented as well as observed project and performance benefits with respect to other displacement monitoring systems. Benefits of real-time monitoring and the larger concept of performance monitoring and SHM of geotechnical assets by remote sensing are discussed.