Development and In Situ Application of Deformation Monitoring System for Concrete-Face Rockfill Dam Using Fiber Optic...

Area of Science:

• Geotechnical Engineering
• Structural Health Monitoring
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Concrete-face rockfill dams (CFRD) require continuous deformation monitoring for operational safety.
• Existing monitoring methods may have limitations in accuracy or coverage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate a novel fiber optic gyroscope (FOG) monitoring system for CFRD face slab deformation.
• To assess the system's performance and advantages compared to traditional methods.

Main Methods:

• Development of a permanent monitoring pipeline embedded in the dam's sidewall.
• Utilization of a sensing vehicle equipped with a high-precision FOG sensor.
• Implementation of a low-pass filter to mitigate vibration noise during angular velocity measurements.

Main Results:

• The FOG monitoring system demonstrated excellent agreement with traditional instrument measurements during an in situ test at the Shuibuya dam.
• Validation confirmed the system's reliability for monitoring the deformation of the highest CFRD globally.

Conclusions:

• The novel FOG monitoring system provides a reliable, automated solution for continuous CFRD face slab deformation monitoring.
• Key advantages include excellent repeatability, long service life, distributed monitoring capabilities, and automatic measurement.