News

Making Civil Engineering Safer By Taking a Leaf Out of Mining’s Book: Part 2 – Dataloggers and Civil Wireless Monitoring

In Part 1  of this discussion, we spoke about the benefits of using multi-point borehole extensometers as a structural integrity monitoring tool in a civil engineering environment. Of course, installing MPBXs is of no benefit on its own. They need to be monitored and provide useful data to be of any real value and make a meaningful contribution to safety. Once installed,...

Making Civil Engineering Safer By Taking a Leaf Out of Mining’s Book: Part 1 – Using Extensometers for Civil Structural Monitoring

As you well know, tunnels and other civil structures are subject to factors like shifting and subsidence, putting them at risk of sudden catastrophic failure in extreme circumstances and making them prone to long-term damage as they age. Obviously, continuous geotechnical monitoring of civil structures is one of the keys to ensuring safety, but unfortunately attempts to achieve this in the...

The Best Way to Collect Data from Geotechnical Instruments

Mine and civil engineers often make use of a variety of geotechnical instruments to monitor the status and movement within geological features and man-made structures, mostly as part of their safety management programs. The data from these installed instruments is collected one of three ways: Manual Data Collection – A staff member moves through the site and connects a datalogger to each instrument in...

Collect Data Wirelessly and On the Go with the SMART Link-BLT Wireless Module [infographic]

The recently-released SMART Link-BLT wireless module makes data collection simpler than ever before. When paired with a tablet running the MDT SMART app, manual readings can be easily taken from instruments that that are not connected to a mesh sensor or other type of network. Wireless Multi-Instrument Compatibility. Simply connect a SMART Link-BLT wireless module to any MDT SMART instrument,...

3 Reasons Why Battery Powered Wireless Monitoring Makes Sense in Underground Mines

A mine-wide monitoring network comprised of various geotechnical, hydrological, and other monitoring instruments is one of the keys to effective safety and productivity management in any underground mine. Battery powered wireless monitoring networks offer several advantages, including: 1.  Cost-effectiveness. Because battery powered wireless nodes are self-powering, there is no need to create a power grid to run the sensor network or hard wire...

Wireless Piezometer Monitoring is the Best Way to Manage Water in Mines

Controlling water levels in contained and uncontained aquifers, and monitoring the pore pressure of groundwater, usually by means of an array of piezometers, are vital parts of ensuring that any mine operates safely and does not experience productivity disruptions. Wireless piezometer monitoring has several advantages over manual data collection and cable-based monitoring networks, including: 1.  They are rapidly deployable in mines of all...

The Most Efficient Way to Perform Wireless Vibrating-Wire Monitoring in Your Surface Mine

As an engineer or manager of an open pit/surface mine, you no doubt spend a significant amount of time contending with water in the mine – whether it enters the mine as rain or surface water run-off, or originates as groundwater that seeps into low-lying areas of the mine, naturally or as a result of mining operations, or remains as...

Geotechnical Monitoring Instrumentation: Helping Mine Engineers Balance Safety & Productivity Requirements

Due to their nature, construction, and typical location, the operational status, safety, and productivity of underground mines (whether hard rock or soft rock) are heavily dependent on the geology and behaviour of rock masses in and around the mine. Because it is a highly variable material that exhibits significant variations in strength and the way it reacts to stresses, both natural...

The Who, What, Where, When, Why, & How of Using Geotechnical Instruments in Underground Mines

Using an array of geotechnical instruments within an underground mine is a highly effective but relatively simple way to gather a lot of accurate data that can be used by mine engineers who are responsible for making decisions that affect safety and productivity. Who should be using geotechnical instruments?  All mine owners/managers who take the safety of their personnel seriously...