7 Factors that Wirelessly Monitored Multi-Point Borehole Extensometers Can Measure inside Your Mine
To monitor what is going on within the rock and soil formations in and around an underground mine, engineers make use of a variety of geotechnical measuring instruments, including multi-point borehole extensometers. Some of the factors that a good multi-point borehole extensometer can measure in an underground mine are:
- Settlement in excavations, foundations, and embankments
- Subsidence above and around tunnels and shafts
- Movements in rock slides, walls, and abutments
- Consolidation of soil under embankments and surcharges
- Compression of piles of soil and the area underneath them
- Spread in embankments
- Convergence in tunnels and other underground openings
Of course, there is not much point using an array of multi-point borehole extensometers to gather data if they are going to be difficult and time-consuming to read. The most efficient way to use multi-point borehole extensometers in an underground mine is to use an extensometer that produces electronic data that can be easily accessed via a digital readout head. This data can then be collected by a wireless node and relayed into the mine’s LAN, from where it is easily accessible to mine engineers and owners.
The best combination for your mine is the MDT Multi-Point Borehole Extensometer, connected to the MDT-RTU wireless node, part of the Newtrax MineHop network. Up to three extensometers (or other MDT geotechnical instruments) can be connected to each of these robust, battery-powered nodes.