Integrating Vibrating-Wire Monitoring Instruments into a Wireless Data Acquisition System Increases Their Usefulness

During the construction of tunnels, bridges, and other civil engineering projects; construction of new mines; expansion of existing mines; de-watering operations; and many other similar activities, it is vitally important that the quantity and behaviour of surface and groundwater are monitored.

Sudden changes in the quantity, pressure, or behaviour of surface or groundwater reserves can be an indication of a developing situation that has the potential to disrupt mining or construction activities.

One of the most commonly used devices for water level and pressure monitoring is the vibrating-wire piezometer. Installing these instruments at various points around the site can allow engineers to keep tabs on the water situation at all times and spot unusual, potentially hazardous, changes while they are still easily manageable.

Linking all the on-site piezometers to a central vibrating-wire monitoring system increases their usefulness, as this allows engineers to have easy access to up-to-date information. The most efficient way to gather this data is to link the piezometers to wireless nodes, which are then integrated into a wireless sensor network, along with other types of sensors and monitoring instruments as required.

Civil engineering projects and structures, as well as surface/open-pit mines, where it is mostly surface water that needs to be monitored, can ideally use the Loadsensing LS-G6 system to facilitate remote, wireless vibrating-wire monitoring and data acquisition.

Underground mine operators can achieve similar results in their management and control of groundwater by connecting their vibrating-wire monitoring instruments (via MDT-VW wireless nodes) to a Newtrax system.