The TenCate GeoDetect Solution

The Future of Geomonitoring Performance

2010

TenCate, the global leader in geosynthetic solutions, has developed a revolutionary combination of geotextile performance and fiber optic technology to provide actionable information related to soil strain and temperature of geo-structures. TenCate GeoDetect is a system that incorporates a geocomposite fabric, fiber optics sensors, instrumentation equipment and software to provide an innovative solution for the multi-functional requirements of a geotechnical application. TenCate GeoDetect is the first intelligent geotextile system designed specifically for geotechnical applications and offers a technical solution for monitoring geo-structures for changes in strain, temperature or the combination of the two. TenCate GeoDetect is the only solution available that is able to measure low strain in a soil structure. It is an innovation that gives assurance that the design materials are meeting or exceeding expected factors of performance and provides an early warning indication of changes in material performance or local conditions that were not expected.

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION A SENSOR-ENABLE COMPOSITE GEOTEXTILE FABRIC PROVEN TECHNOLOGY, INNOVATIVE DESIGN APPLICATIONS AREAS OF APPLICATIONS MONITORING SOLUTION THE ADVANTAGES OF THE TENCATE GEODETECT SOLUTION AT A GLANCE WHY STRUCTURAL AND INFRASTRUCTURE HEALTH MONITORING? WHY MONITOR PERFORMANCE? WHY EARTH AND HYDRAULIC WORKS MONITORING?

3 4 6 8 9 14 16

18 19 19

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PERFORMANCE TESTING CASE HISTORIES TENCATE GEODETECT SOLUTION PROJECT REFERENCE PUBLISHED TECHNICAL PAPERS 20 27 35 36

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Introduction
Understanding geosynthetic behavior in soil has always been a critical request and of great interest for engineers and owners. Also monitoring of earthworks and structures using soil materials is necessary to have a better knowledge of the processes involved. An accurate monitoring of civil engineering works allows one either to evaluate their actual safety level and optimize the design, or to survey the behavior of a structure which may be susceptible to change over time. Since the introduction of reinforced soil structures using geosynthetics, their success stories have revolutionized the construction industry and have resulted in tremendous growth. Geosynthetic reinforced soil structures are more economically viable, easily and rapidly constructed, flexible for dynamic loading and versatile from an engineering viewpoint. Today, the geosynthetic reinforced soil system is proven and accepted worldwide with numerous national codes of practice published. However, the development of geosynthetics did not stop there. The requirement for monitoring the short and long-term behavior of engineering structures has become increasingly important. This is more so when engineering structures are built to meet the demands of economic growth and in challenging situations such as taller structures, over soft foundations and steeper slopes. The situation becomes more critical in areas prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, typhoons, or with heavy rainfall and naturally occurring poor soil conditions. High intensity rainfall could trigger landslides. Development of underground cavities could damage road structures. Monitoring and verification of geostructure performance is critical in these areas. The instrumentation of geosynthetic reinforced soil structures (reinforced slopes and walls, embankments on soft ground) has been done for many years through traditional systems such as mechanical strain gauges or displacement sensors. These systems are generally only used for experimentation or during the construction stage for a short period of time. These traditional instruments have two major limitations in geotechnical applications. They are time-consuming to install and have a short service life of only a few months. They are also only discrete monitoring points, making the survey of large areas difficult due mainly to the installation itself. Furthermore, the installation and adhering of the sensors on the geosynthetics may have a negative influence on the measurement accuracy due to their size. The durability of these traditional devices is generally very limited without sophisticated protection materials. Today, the need for critical earth structures to be reliably and economically instrumented and monitored justify the research and development of more accurate tools, which are easy to install and provide long term performance. In this context, a new innovative product was developed called TenCate GeoDetect. This sensor-enabled geotextile composite, featuring fiber optic sensing technology, was developed by combining geosynthetic performance and optical technology for measurement of strain and temperature in soil, TenCate GeoDetect allows for the survey of reinforced earth construction. The fiber optics in structural health monitoring systems for civil engineering applications have been widely used. By integrating fiber optic sensing into a geotextile fabric, the TenCate GeoDetect system is the first designed specifically for geotechnical applications. This monitoring solution embodies fiber optics on a geotextile fabric, e.g. a textile used into the soil, and combines the benefits of geotextile materials, such as high interface friction in contact with the soil, with the latest fiber optics sensing technologies. It aims to monitor geotechnical structure and to generate early warnings if it detects and localizes the early signs of malfunctioning, such as leaks or instability. TenCate GeoDetect is a customizable solution: Fiber Bragg gratings, Brillouin and Raman scattering can be built into this system. These technologies measure both strain and temperature changes in soil structures. It can provide a leak and deformation location within accuracies resp. 1 l/min/m and 0.02%. The TenCate GeoDetect solution provides objective, highly precise, and timely in-situ performance information, allowing the design professional and owner to understand system performance in addition to providing alerts for negative geo-events (subsidence) and other potentially deleterious events. TenCateGeoDetectSolutionWhitePaper

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A Sensor-Enabled Composite Geotextile Fabric

Traditional attempts to monitor soil strain and temperature in-situ have been met with instrumentation problems as well as other significant challenges: difficult and costly installations, construction delays, installation damage, excessive maintenance, poor accuracy, and only short-term results. The patented TenCate GeoDetect system starts with a unique design that embeds fiber optic sensors into a composite geotextile during the manufacturing process. The geosynthetic composite has a highly efficient interaction with the soil and therefore can accurately measure soil strain. Thus, the TenCate GeoDetect sensor-enabled composite offers an accurate measurement system that can be easily adapted to monitor a wide variety of geotechnical engineering structures. TenCates exclusive Distributed Anchoring System enables the sensor-enabled geotextile to have an intimate relationship with the soil. Strain and temperature information is transferred from the soil directly to the fabric and to the fiber optic with nearly perfect accuracy.

Figure 1. The TenCate GeoDetect composite textile sensor with fiber optic cables embedded during the manufacturing process.

Once installed, the sensor-enabled geotextile communicates the soil strain and temperature data to the TenCate GeoDetect systems interrogator equipment. Soil strain as low as 0.02% can be measured, and with the proper software, changes in temperature can be monitored at 0.1C with a spatial resolution as precise as 0.5m to 1.0m. The TenCate GeoDetect system is comprised of the sensor-enabled geotextile, data acquisition instrumentation, data logging, visualization, alert and reporting software as shown in figure 2.

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The data storage, warning and visualization

The TenCate GeoDetect optical fiber composite

Optical interrogator

Connections and data transfer

Figure 2. The TenCate GeoDetect system components

This actionable information can be used for a number of functions: Field performance monitoring Early-warning system Structural health monitoring Observational Design and Design validation

With the TenCate GeoDetect system, engineers now benefit from an in-depth look into the integrity of geostructures. They can utilize geosynthetics in applications that were previously not considered because of insufficient design knowledge and long-term performance uncertainty.

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Proven Technology, Innovative Design

The use of optical fibers in the measurement of elongation in civil engineering is well known. Numerous tunnels, bridges and other sensitive structures are surveyed using this technology. The TenCate GeoDetect system can utilize three fiber optic sensing technologies which can be configured into a customizable solution: 1. Fiber Bragg gratings (FBG) 2. Distributed Scattering a. Stimulated Brillouin Scattering b. Raman Scattering Combing fiber optic sensors to a geosynthetic material gives engineers the ability to apply this technology to soil structures.

Fiber Bragg Gratings

Strain sensors that form an intrinsic part of the fiber optic cable are incorporated in the cable using Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBG) technology to detect strains in the geosynthetic. Any stresses exerted in the geosynthetic will cause a wavelength shift in the sensor that can then be related to a corresponding strain as shown in Figure 3. Another interesting feature is that by using different wavelengths (1, 2, 3 etc), signals of various FBG sensors can be identified and distinguished. Because each sensor has its own characteristic wavelength, the sensors can be integrated in series along one optical fiber line. In this way several sensors can be measured simultaneously and the location of the strains identified within the soil structure.
= (

Wavelength nm Strain in the TenCate GeoDetect FBGs Shift in wavelength

Wavelength conversion to strain

time, t Strain measurement in real time

Figure 3. The principle of Fibre Bragg Gratings (FBG) in TenCate GeoDetect .

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Distributed Scattering
Distributed Scattering is best suited to monitor projects with large surface areas generally with a length of over hundreds of meters. (Principle: frequency analysis of retro diffused (laser) signal. Brillouin and Raman scattering is a natural scattering process associated to the propagation of light in a medium like an optical fiber.) The interaction results in the generation of scattered light (Brillouin or Raman components) which shows either a frequency (or wavelength) shift for the Brillouin component, or a signal amplitude shift for the Raman component, compared to the light causing the interaction. The principle is based on the analysis of the Brillouin or Raman scattered light in optical fibers to perform strain and temperature measurement. This can be achieved since the Brillouin and Raman shifts depend on the acoustic velocity of the medium, which is temperature or strain/temperature dependent as shown in figure 4.

Figure 4. Principle of Brillouin scattering in the TenCate GeoDetect system.

Stimulated Brillouin Scattering:

Brillouin Scattering technology is used to obtain changes in strain and temperature over long distances. Individual sensors are not required using Stimulated Brillouin Scattering. Standard fiber optic cables, instrumentation equipment and software provide the strain and thermal data. With the proper instrumentation, strain measurements as small as 0.1% can be obtained with a spatial resolution of 1.0 m at a distance of 20km. Temperature changes of 0.1C can be obtained at similar distances.

Raman Scattering:
Raman Scattering technology is used to obtain very minute changes in temperature. Individual sensors are not required using Raman Scattering, however, special fiber optic cables, instrumentation equipment and third party software are required to provide actionable thermal data. Changes in temperature as precise as 0.1 C can be obtained using this specialized equipment. For TenCate GeoDetect applications, a 0.1 C temperature resolution with a spatial resolution of 1.0m at a distance up to 10km is sufficient for monitoring small leaks in levee applications.

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Applications
The heterogeneous nature of soil creates significant variability in geotechnical design. The TenCate GeoDetect system offers owners and design engineers insight into the performance and sustainability of soil structures. This additional reliability and integrity can assure the appropriate performance of a sustainable geo-structure leading to better land use, longer lasting structures, lower overall project costs, increased factors of performance, and broadened geosynthetic applications. Typical applications are: Roads/rails Existing right-of-ways/easements and environmental concerns often force new rail and highway construction over geotechnically-challenging areas, including karst topography, abandoned mines, soft ground, and existing landslides. Displacement of these geotechnical structures caused by subsidence and ground movement can easily be detected by the TenCate GeoDetect system before ultimate design failure occurs. Slopes The increasing use of steeper and higher slopes in more adverse topography by property developers that want to maximize surface area for new building construction is creating an embedded liability for owners and engineers. Typical failures of these structures are preceded by higher soil moisture content and shear forces creating increased strain in the soil reinforcement. The TenCate GeoDetect solution can serve as an early detection system for both of these issues. Embankments Cavities, piles, consolidation, and poor soil conditions have traditionally prevented or endangered the construction of many embankments. The TenCate GeoDetect system can be used to validate design and detect failure of unstable ground (Figure 5). Walls Geosynthetic reinforced wall systems are being used more frequently because they are more economical and easier to construct than other retaining wall systems. Performance of these systems can be verified with the TenCate GeoDetect system to validate performance for critical and larger walls. Levees and dams Levees and dams must be supported by competent foundations and are routinely stressed by seismic and hydraulic forces. Failures of these geotechnical structures are usually preceded by displacement and internal erosion that can be detected at an early stage by a TenCate GeoDetect system before catastrophic failure and significant damage. Landfills The TenCate GeoDetect system has the potential to address several challenges specific to landfill applications: movement detection of top soil layer; landfill expansion for higher containment capacity with steeper slope reinforcement; assessment of the mechanical properties of waste materials, and monitoring temperature variations in a leak detection use.
Strains readout from TenCate GeoDetect

Geosynthetic reinforcement with TenCate GeoDetect

Figure 5. Monitoring on development of sinkhole.

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Areas of Applications
The following are some areas where the TenCate GeoDetect solution has been or could be effectively applied to monitor the behavior of engineeredearth structures.

1. Reinforcement and strain measurements of embankments

Road and railway embankments
Geosynthetic reinforcement Strain monitoring system Road embankment TenCate GeoDetect strip

Potential failure plane of embankment

Figure 6 : Monitoring strains of geosynthetic reinforcing the base of an embankment on poor soil

Several TenCate GeoDetect S strips can be placed at regular interval across the width of the embankment to monitor the horizontal profile movement of the embankment

Embankments over piles

Embankment

TenCate GeoDetect

Geotextile reinforcement

Pile caps Piles

Soft clay

Figure 7. Monitoring strains in geosynthetic placed over piles in piled embankment situation

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Geosynthetic reinforcement panel

TenCate GeoDetect strip

Figure 8 : Plan view of piled embankment showing the TenCate GeoDetect instrumentation strip

2. Reinforcement and monitoring the development of sinkholes, underground cavities and soil subsidence

Figure 9. Monitoring strains of geosynthetic reinforcing the base of an embankment over cavities

Geosynthetic reinforcement

Road embankment

TenCate GeoDetect strip

Strain monitoring system

Underground cavity

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3. Strain measurements of reinforced soil slopes

TenCate GeoDetect S strip Geosynthetic reinforcement panel

Instrumented profile

Figure 10. Monitoring strains into a geotextile reinforced slope

4. Strain measurements of reinforced soil walls and bridge abutments

Geosynthetic for reinforcement

TenCate GeoDetect S strip

Strain measurement device

Figure 11. Monitoring strains into a geotextile reinforced wall

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5. Strain measurements of existing or cut slopes to prevent landslides

Trench at top of slope for placement of TenCate GeoDetect

TenCate GeoDetect S strip

TenCate GeoDetect strips

Failure plane mobilizes strain in the TenCate GeoDetect S strip

Figure 12. Landslide detection

For existing and newly cut slopes, the TenCate GeoDetect system can be used to monitor movements of slopes by placement of TenCate GeoDetect at the top of the slope. This can be done by excavating monitoring trenches about 300mm deep and at predetermined interval along the top of slope. Any distress in the slope can be captured by the strains in the TenCate GeoDetect system.

6. Strain measurements of civil engineering structures

Underground pipielines Bridge structures
TenCate GeoDetect S strip glued to pipeline by epoxy

Figure 13. Pipeline monotoring

TenCate GeoDetect S strip consisting of FBGs enhances application of the strip directly on civil engineering structures such as pipelines, steel or concrete bridge structures. The large area of the strip allows effective and intimate adhesion of the strip by glue or epoxy to enable accurate measurement of strains exerted on the structures. TenCateGeoDetectSolutionWhitePaper

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7. Intrusion detection of civil engineering structures

Another application is the detection of external events, for example works around pipelines. A colored Visual Warning system may be combined with the TenCate GeoDetect system to localize such events.

Figure 14. Early warning of intrusion over pipeline

8. Stability (strain) and leaks (temperature) detection in earthdams and levees.

Monitoring the behavior of new and old dams is a key concern in the field of dam maintenance. Thanks to the early detection of precursors of a malfunctioning earth levee such as leakage, erosion, relative deformation or settlement, it is possible to react quickly when necessary or to check periodically the slow ageing process of a dam and to plan the maintenance program in a timely manner. The TenCate GeoDetect monitoring technology detects both internal erosion and instability at an early stage of degradation.

Figure 15. Early stability warning on the IJkdijk experimental dike.

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Monitoring Solution
Many factors present significant geological hazards to land development: karst topography, abandoned mines, liquefaction-prone soils, peat, loess and alluvial deposits, and soft ground conditions. Geotechnical professionals are constantly faced with uncertainty due to these hazards and the variability of soil and subsurface conditions. The TenCate GeoDetect system provides insight and validation on the performance of structures in these challenging conditions.
TenCate GeoDetect strip Reinforced soil slope

Remote Terminal Unit (RTU)

Measuring devices Communication network (Radio, GSM/GPRS etc) SMS Alert when threshold limit is reached

Strain threshold limit

Remote transmission via telemetry Communication network (Radio, GSM/GPRS etc)

Figure 16. The TenCate GeoDetect remote warning solution

Simple remote data acquisition and early warning system can be established using the TenCate GeoDetect system via telemetry. TenCate GeoDetect is a tailored solution that is created to meet the unique requirements of each individual project. The TenCate GeoDetect solution offers a wide range of customizable monitoring and data access configurations.

The sensor-enabled geotextile composite

At the heart of this system is a geotextile fiber optics composite reinforced with high-strength polyester (PET) yarns in a uniaxial direction, with tensile strength ranges from 2,5 lb/ft (37 kN/m) to 16,6 lb/ft (242 kN/m). The TenCate GeoDetect sensor-enabled geotextile composite can also be configured in strips or larger panels, in lengths ranging from 10 m to 600 m, and widths from 0.76 to 5.3 m. It gives secured distributed anchoring across the full product area to detect early events even far from the optical lines.

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The technology
Offering spatial resolutions as precise as 0.5 m and monitoring distance up to 20km, the TenCate GeoDetect technology allows multiple single mode and multimode fiber optic lines, to be embedded into the composite geotextile fabric. Local measurement with Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBG) or distributed measurement through Brillouin or Raman scattering are possible.

The system
The TenCate GeoDetect system incorporates instrumentation equipment and data acquisition software to provide an innovative tool for the multi-functional requirements of a geotechnical application with a variety of monitoring options: Static or dynamic monitoring Periodic or continuous monitoring Temporary or permanent monitoring On-site or remote data access

Multiple layers of the TenCate GeoDetect sensor-enabled geotextile composite can be interconnected on site using the same equipment. An alarm system can be set up for the early warning of first steps of deleterious events.

The solution
The TenCate GeoDetect solution incorporates all aspects of geosynthetic reinforcement and data acquisition from start to finish. Including: The TenCate GeoDetect system o Fiber optics embedded geotextile o Instrumentation equipment o Raw data acquisition software Accessories System installation Operation training Maintenance

Moreover, additional service can be provided by specialized partners: At the design stage, suggestions to implement the system into the structure At the service stage, data analysis for monitoring or warning purposes Knowing the long-term performance of geotechnical structures is an essential step to a better understanding of material properties and future design enhancements. The TenCate GeoDetect solution provides assurance that your application is working as designed.

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The Advantages of the TenCate GeoDetect Solution at a Glance

Product advantages
Highly accurate TenCate GeoDetect allows exceptionally high measurement accuracy. Easy and quick to install TenCate GeoDetect is a combination of reinforcement and sensors; this significantly reduces installation time compared to conventional systems. (Particularly useful in rail applications where limited track-closure times are available) Long service lifetime All TenCate GeoDetect components are corrosion-resistant. Reinforcement can be designed for a service life of 60 years. Resistant to environmental damage TenCate GeoDetect is immune to lightning strikes and is radiation-resistant. It is non-magnetic and requires no operating current, so it can be used adjacent to or in conjunction with gas or oil pipelines (no risk of explosion).

Project advantages
Economic design: reduction of construction costs Prevention of accidents and reduction of infrastructure downtime Provision of additional safety for critical structures Reduced maintenance costs due to early soil-subsidence monitoring

Advantages of TenCate GeoDetect over conventional instrumentation

Instrumentation using conventional strain gauges is laborious and cumbersome. Application of strain gauge on geotextile requires great consistency in adhesion technique and is complicated by calibration of individual strain gauge.
Typical application of strain gages to geotextile fabrics

Complex wiring with mechanical strain gages Simplicity of the TenCate GeoDetect system with twice the number of sensors Figure 17. Ease of connection of the optical fiber solution (left) vs. classical sensors (right)

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Advantages:
TENCATE GEODETECT SYSTEM
Easy to install on geosynthetic. Fiber optic incorporated during manufacturing of geosynthetic. Brillouin and Raman technologies use standard fibers. FBGs are laser impregnated into fiber optic for consistency. Therefore calibration only required to be carried out on one line or one sensor. Easy to calibrate at the installation stage. No calibration reset after an instrumentation stop. High instrumentation accuracy, temperature resolution (0.1C) and strain resolution (0.001%). Optimum range of strains (up to 5% with FBG) ideal for soil monitoring. Multiple measurement points along one single optical fiber. Very easy site installation. Several lines in one strip or panel. Easy connection for rapid data acquisition. Multiple sensors readout can be obtained in a single measurement. Lines multiplexing. Easy and direct conversion of strain readings. Free from electrical or electromagnetic interference. Waterproof with protection jacket. Durable and low risk of malfunction. Non corrosive, no electrical circuit and high resistance to installation damage. Provides long-term performance and reliable monitoring Sensors can be monitored even at breakage of fiber optic (2 ends connection). Low cost due to low cost in sensors preparation and low installation cost. Allows simple remote data acquisition via telemetry. Very long distance measurement for hundreds to kilometers. Multiple parameters (Strain and temperature) on the same sensor

CONVENTIONAL INSTRUMENTATION (ESG)

Very difficult to install on geosynthetic. Installation depends on highly skilled technicians. Inconsistent installation due to application of adhesive of each ESG on geosynthetic. Therefore calibration needs to be carried out on every ESG to maintain accuracy of measurements. Difficult to calibrate due to hysteresis effect and length of geosynthetic. Zero value lost after interruption. Poor accuracy due to difficulty in calibration. Also depends on electrical resistance due to environmental factors and length of wiring. Low strain tolerance. May affect adhesion to geosynthetic. Each sensor per wiring system. Therefore too many wires for multiple sensors application. Very cumbersome and difficult site installation. Each sensor need to be read individually. Time consuming for multiple sensors application. Difficult and time consuming conversion of strain readings due to several calibration charts. Influenced by electrical and electromagnetic interference. Non waterproof and ECG needs to be individually protected. Non durable and high risk of malfunction due to breakage, corrosion, short circuit and installation damage. Normally short-term monitoring only due to poor durability. Results unreliable. Sensor is lost when breakage of wire occurs. Very high cost of sensors preparation. High installation cost due to skilled technicians required. Complicated system if remote data acquisition is required. Local measurement One sensor for one parameter

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Why Structural and Infrastructre Health Monitoring?

1. Safety.
Safe use of questionable topography Early warning of deleterious changes Reduced risk of major accidents for unknown reasons

2. Project size.
Larger size Bigger sensitiveness to external events

3. Ageing and cost.

Infrastructures portfolio becomes older Early detection of malfunctioning area helps to define appropriate and lower cost maintenance activities

4. Economy.
Cost reduction Optimization of more expansive construction material Optimization of efficiency

5. Sustainable development.
Preserve the existing infrastructure Anticipate the effects of the announced climatic change

6. Management and decision tool.

Need to assess the behavior of the structure on real time

Stonecutters bridge (HK) 1200 permanent sensors

Millau viaduct (F) 300 permanent sensors

Great East Belt bridge (DK) 100 permanent sensors

Figure 50. Example of monitored infrastructures

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Why Monitor Performance?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Indicate impending failure. Provide a warning. Reveal unknowns. Evaluate critical design assumptions. Assess contractors means and methods. Minimize damage to adjacent structures. Control Construction. Control Operations.

9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.

Devise remedial measures to fix problems. Improve performance. Advance state-of-knowledge. Document performance for assessing damages. Inform stakeholders. Satisfy regulators. Reduce litigation. Show that everything is OK

Why Earth and Hydraulic Works Monitoring?

1. For all new projects: the design is based, in part, on unknown parameters

Soil heterogeneity Design assumptions Changing external stresses (climate, traffic)

2. For risky works

Construction area less and less favorable Detection of random events : cavities, breaches, leaks, settlements Seismic zones

3. For existing and old works

Assess the ageing status and follow-up Construction material and design methods unknown

Monitoring is an answer:
To anticipate risks linked to unknown events To design uncertainties For a better follow-up during construction To the wish to increase works life time To the wish to anticipate malfunctioning and reduce maintenance costs To adapt to the changes of the future stresses

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Performance Testing
The TenCate GeoDetect system was developed as a result of laboratory and full-scale tests. Utmost importance was attached to the correlations of results obtained by using FBG, Raman and Brillouin technologies, numerical calculations and direct measurement.

Performance in strain measurement with FBG sensors

In order to better investigate the performances of the system under field conditions, in particular its behavior during installation, during the compaction of soil material and during subsoil collapse, experiments were carried out at the Regional Laboratory of the Bridges and Roads (LRPC) in Nancy
4,0% FBG 3+FBG4 Linaire (FBG 3+FBG4)
y = 1,072 x + 0,001 R2 = 0,981

P4 P3 P2 P1
strain - FBG

3,5%
Oct 2003 loading 4,2t

3,0%
Oct 2003 loading 1,1t Oct 2003 loading 3t

P5 P6 P7 P8

2,5%
Oct 2003 loading 2,5t

2,0%

1,5% 1,5%

2,0%

2,5%

3,0%

3,5%

strain - potentiometer

Figure 18. Measurement devices (extensometers) complementary to the Invar wire and potentiometers and comparison between measurements and potentiometers and those with optical fibers (red/purple dots).

In the LRPC Nancy, France, values measured by Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBG) and with a traditional potentiometer system have shown near-ideal correlation. The experiment consisted of installing TenCate GeoDetect equipped with two optical fibers 0.5 m apart with each one composed of thirty FBGs sensors with a spacing of 1m. A local collapse of the sub-soil was simulated by deflating and removing two balloons installed under the sensor, and loading it using concrete blocks, on the surface of the ballast layer over the cavity to further observe the deformation of the sensor-enabled geotextile composite. In order to check the accuracy of the deformations registered by TenCate GeoDetect, an INVAR wire and potentiometer system of measurement was also installed (Figure 18). Four sheathed rigid cable extensometers were affixed to both sides of the points to be measured and at the center of each air bag and coincident with the FBG sensor locations. The displacement of the extensometers makes it possible to evaluate the deformation differences. For each wire couple, one can calculate the deformation and compare it with the measurements taken by the TenCate GeoDetect system. Figure 18 shows the correlation between measurements of the two FBGs sensors located at the top of the cavity and those measured with potentiometers for a gauge base of 60 cm. The correlation between the two measurement systems is very good, as the low dispersion around the average curve indicates.

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Further tests were also carried out at the Tokyo Science University, Japan using the TenCate GeoDetect system to measure the strain behavior of a geotextile subject to sustained creep loading test condition. The TenCate GeoDetect sensor was required in such test conditions due to the space constrained laboratory testing setup and the accurate strain measurements in the geotextile. The advantage of the TenCate GeoDetect fiber optic sensors connected in series by a single cable and having unique wavelength identity minimizes external wiring interference that would inadvertently act as reinforcement in the test setup. Strain measurements using the TenCate GeoDetect sensors showed consistent and similar behavioral trend compared to that geosynthetic using complicated electrical resistant strain gauges (Loke, 2007; Kongkitkul, 2007).

Figure 19. Test setup using GeoDetect at Tokyo Science University Japan (Kongkitkul, 2007)

Furthermore, the measurement realized with the TenCate GeoDetect System, also in accordance with a three-dimensional finite element model, enabled validation of a new design method including the behavior of the geosynthetic in the anchorage (Figure 20).

Figure 20. Test setup using TenCate GeoDetect over an artificial cavity at Grenoble University, France (2004)

As TenCate GeoDetect is used in earthwork applications; resistance to installation damage was also investigated. The result of all these tests and trials was the product best suited for reinforcement and monitoring. TenCateGeoDetectSolutionWhitePaper

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Performance in strain measurement with Stimulated Brillouin Scattering

The TenCate GeoDetect solution was installed inside the dike built for the IJkdijk (Smart Calibration Dike) Macrostability project focused on the structural stability of earth dykes. It was placed under the revetment, to measure the strain of the embankment. During the test, the global factor of safety of the dyke was decreased till failure occurs. The monitoring system worked perfectly by being the first solution among ten other monitoring techniques to detect and to localizing the border of the instable zone. Strains inside the dike body as low as 0.02 % were detected predicting the localize failure zone about two days before the dike collapsed (Figure 21).

Figure 21. The experimental IJkdijk dyke after failure and the corresponding measurement of the strain several hours before failure.

Performance in leaks detection with combined temperature and strain measurement with Raman and Brillouin Scattering
Another series of 4 experiments was carried out in 2009 during the second IJkdijk-Piping experimental project for the detection of the early signs of internal erosion at the interface between a clayey dike and sandy erosive subsoil. Full scale levees were built and brought to failure. Four experiments have been carried out, targeting failure caused by under-seepage erosion (piping). The clay levee with a height of 3.5m and slopes of 1:2 was built on top of the sand, 15 m long and 12 m wide. To create erosive channels, water head was increased step by step up to 3 m maximum, to obtain sufficient hydraulic forces to generate an internal piping process. 22/37 TenCateGeoDetectSolutionWhitePaper

Three TenCate GeoDetect S-BR strips embedded with fiber optics for both temperature and strain measurement were buried 10 cm into the sandy subsoil lengthwise at three different locations from the downstream toe of the dike as indicated in figure 23. The temperature optical line was connected to Raman Scattering instrumentation, the strain optical line was connected to Stimulated Brillouin Scattering instrumentation. Three other strips with only temperature optical fibers were installed further up on the upstream toe of the dike. Figure 25 shows the maps of the raw temperatures (left column) and of the relative strains (right column) measured by the TenCate GeoDetect system. The temperature profile is affected by the penetration of a colder water flow inside the dike body at a distance of about 12 m from the left upstream corner. An inflection of the channel inside the dike body predicts a channel outlet in an area between 8 to 10 m from the left downstream corner. The strain profile on the left is also slightly modified at the same distance with an elongation of the sensors corresponding to about 500 or 0.05 % (dotted white lines). From the observation of these two parameters, this clearly indicates that the start of the piping channel from the upstream side to the downstream side of the dike took place more than 15 hours before the dike failure occurs. A post-failure analysis carried out by eDF on a another experimental dike (IJjkdijk Piping test n2) based on signal processing models developed by eDF that is about to be included in real-time data analysis modules has revealed the presence of precursors 5 days before collapse, i.e. only one day after the start of the experimentation (Beck et al., 2010). It has also been observed from the temperature measurements that the speed of the detection increases when the optical cables are located where the leaks are fore-seen, here at the interface between the sand and the clayey dike, which would be the case for a non experimental work. This IJkdijk-piping experimentation clearly demonstrates the capabilities of the TenCate GeoDetect system to detect the early stage of a piping process, by analyzing together temperature measurement corresponding to very small leakage rates, less than 1 l/min./m as previously observed in other sites (Artires et al., 2007), and very small soil strain movements less than 0.1%.

Figure 22. Downstream side of the IJkdijk experimental dyke a few minutes before collapse with clear view of the piping chanel and sand erosion at the toe The coloured labels at the toe indicate the observed flows, red with sand transport, blue only water (from Stiching IJkdijk).

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Figure 23. Location of the 6 TenCate GeoDetect strips into the sand below the IJkdijk experimental dike.

Figure 24. Installation of the GeoDetect sensor strips embedding both strain and temperature fiber optics 10 cm into the sand layer before constrution of the experimental dike.

22 hours before collapse

5 hours before collapse

Temperature in C C 8 6 4 0 Dike length in m 15

Dike width in m 12 Strain in (10 %)

-4

Temperature in C +150 +100 +50 0 0 C 8 6 4

Dike width in m 12

+1500 +1000 +500 0

Strain in 10-4%

0 0 Dike length in m 15

0 0 Dike length in m 15 0 Dike length in m 15

500

Figure 25. IJkdijk piping dike - Temperature and strain profiles measured with the TenCate GeoDetect system. Hetorogeneities appear on the map (white dot line) 22 hours before dike collapse from the raw data. The full extension of the piping chanel bellow the dike occurs 5 hours before dike collapse (geophyConsult data processing).

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Installation survivability in soils

As the TenCate GeoDetect system is used in earthwork applications; resistance to installation damage was also investigated. The result of all these tests and trials was the product best suited for reinforcement and monitoring. TRI/Environmental, Inc. performed installation damage testing on the TenCate GeoDetect S to validate the performance of the sensor-enabled geotextile once installed. The TenCate GeoDetect fiber optic system was monitored when it was placed on the surface of the first lift (baseline value), after placement of aggregate, after compaction and after exhumation. Failure of the system is defined by the inability to read any of the predetermined locations. No failures to read were noted. The values did change as a function of installation which would indicate loading and/or straining of the fabric but returned to baseline values after exhumation. Photographs representative of the procedures are in figure 26.

Close-up of BBA-type Gravel

Compacted Using Field-Scale Equipment

Exhuming Samples by Hand

Figure 26. Resistance to compaction damage of the TenCate GeoDetect S (TRI, UK)

Additional testing was carried out on TenCate GeoDetect S-BR fiber optic sensing system of embedding multimode and monomode optical cables for distributed temperature and strain measurement, at the Cemagref, French Public Research Institute for Science and Technology, in Aix-en-Provence. Several areas with 2 types of crushed aggressive stones (0/31.5 mm) and (20/40 mm) were built, with and without protection, to evaluate the resistance of different cable coatings. Optimum cable specifications were selected for the TenCate GeoDetect S-BR sensor-enabled geotextile composite. .
Geotextile for protection TenCate GeoDetect

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20 mm /40 mm stones (left) 0/31.5 mm gravel (right)

Installation of the top soil

Figure 27. Resistance to compaction damage of the TenCate GeoDetect S-BR (Aix-en-Provence, France)

Figure 28. Compaction and traffic on the testing section on the TenCate GeoDetect S-BR

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Case Histories
1. Bukit Batok geosynthetic reinforced soil slope, Singapore

23m TenCate GeoDetect Reinforced soil 30 deg

Figure 29. Typical cross-section of the reinforced soil slope with the TenCate GeoDetect monitoring solution at the upper portion of the slope

Figure 30. Installation and control of the TenCate GeoDetect system

Due to the extreme height of slope and the presence of critical structure nearby, TenCate GeoDetect was used to monitor the strains developed in the soil. It was placed at strategic locations in the slope to enable effective detection of slope distress and subsequently to provide early maintenance of the slope (Loke, 2007). TenCateGeoDetectSolutionWhitePaper

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2. Embankment reinforcement and monitoring of soil subsidence French Railways, Arbois, France

Rails Ballast Platform TenCate GeoDetect panel

2.415m

0.25m 0.5m

> 5m

Figure 31. Cross-section of railway embankment with the TenCate GeoDetect panel at the base of the embankment

Removal of ballast before placement

Placement of the Tencate GeoDetect panel roll

Figure 32. Placement of the TenCate GeoDetect panel underneath the embankment

5.30 m

0.85 m

0.85 m

fiber optic

Figure 33 : The TenCate GeoDetect panel embeding multiple lines of optical fibre with FBG sensors

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In this project a warning system is required for the French Railways to monitor sinkhole formations under the railway embankment. The area to be monitored consists length of railway track 50m and 5.5m wide. The design criteria for allowable settlement are: Warning criteria for surface settlement: 6mm Slow down of train criteria for surface settlement: 9mm Intervention of service criteria for surface settlement: 21mm

In order to provide effective monitoring system for the above settlement requirements, multiple lines of fiber optic cables with FBG sensors were incorporated in the reinforcement geotextile RockPEC. The tensile strength of the geotextile was 300kN/m with 5 lines of fiber optic cables at 0.85m spacing along the width of the geotextile. FBGs were spaced at 0.85m along the optical fiber. This design allows the detection of size hole of about 1.2m diameter per sensor. A total of 300 FBGs were used (Brianon et al., 2006).

3. St. Saturnin geosynthetic reinforced soil bridge abutment, France

Figure 34. Geosynthetic reinforced soil wall as abutment

Figure 35. Cross-section of wall showing layers for bridge support of TenCate GeoDetect strips

Figure 36. Placement of the TenCate GeoDetect strip

Figure 37. Protecting the TenCate GeoDetect strip with sand cover

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Figure 38. Completed structure of reinforced soil wall with TenCate GeoDetect

Figure 39. Strain measurements from the Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBG) placed on the optical line

Two tiered reinforced walls were built as abutments for bridge support over a canal. The lower wall was 6.9m high and the upper wall was about 3m. The upper wall formed part of the bridge approach and the lower wall was used to support the bridge deck. Due to this, 3 layers of TenCate GeoDetect S strips were placed in the lower wall for monitoring of soil strains due to possible movements of the wall facing laterally outward. The maximum strain measurement in the reinforcement was less than 1% near the facing of the wall (Nancey et al., 2006).

4. Monitoring of reinforced slope for road widening, Maehongsorn, Thailand

Figure 40. Construction of road widen slope reinforced with Miragrid GX geogrids

Figure 41. Laying of TenCate GeoDetect strip

Three strips of TenCate GeoDetect were used to monitor the behavior of 13m high TenCate Miragrid GX geogrid reinforced slope. Maximum strain measured was less than 0.4%.

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5. Monitoring of geogrid reinforced soil walls National Cooperative Highway Research Project (NCHRP), USA

GeoDetect layer

I
Figure 42. Instrumentation using conventional method Figure 43. Installation of the TenCate GeoDetect system

Instrumentation using conventional method (as shown near the bottom of the wall in Figure 42) is cumbersome with many wires as compared to the strip of TenCate GeoDetect. Two optical lines are carrying the FBG. Figure 43 shows the ease of TenCate GeoDetect installation and can be applied with different types of geosynthetics for reinforcement. The TenCate GeoDetect strip is cut to the required width to provide compatible tensile strength with adjacent geosynthetic material.

6. Marne to Rhine canal dike monitoring French waterways (VNF)

A 100 m long section of the dike along the canal from the Marne River to the Rhine River in France owned by the French waterways (VNF) is monitored with the TenCate GeoDetect system. Leakage was expected in the area, but the localization of the leaks were difficult due to the vegetation on the downstream slope of the dike, and also due to the longitudinal slope of the dike toe collecting large amount of water. The dike is about 3 m high and built with rather homogeneous clayey soil. The TenCate GeoDetect S-BR strips are embedding with fiber optic cables both for both temperature and strain measurement (Fig. 44) were installed. The optical lines were connected as a loop to the Raman and Brillouin distributed scattering instrumentation (Figure 44) Artires et al., 2010a). The mapping of the temperature data is shown on the figure 45. A temperature anomaly is visible at a distance of 30-40 m distance on the bottom and field strips, and at 50 m on the top strip with data analysis carried out using the eDF signal processing model resulting to dissimilarities to daily temperature (Beck et al., 2010). The strain mappings are drawn on figure 46 and show little movement of the dike which indicates that the observed leakages are not acting on the dike stability. A strained zone is observed around 50 m on the middle strip. The highest tensile zones, about 0.03%, appear at the top line at 40-45 m corresponding to a settlement that can be visually observed at the crest of the dike. Another one is seen at the bottom line at a 10 m distance whose magnitude increases with time. TenCateGeoDetectSolutionWhitePaper

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Figure 44. Installation of the TenCate GeoDetect strips along the section of the Marne to Rhine canal

Figure 45. Temperature anomalies through the dike corresponding to leaks (eDF data processing)

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Figure 46. Strain measurement along the dike on the top, middle and bottom strips (geophyConsult data prcessing)

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7. Early warning on the Loire River Authion levees, France

A 1 km long levee for flood protection along the Loire River is instrumented with 3 rolls of TenCate GeoDetect S-BR, at the top, at the middle and at the toe of the dike. This early warning solution aims to react in case of detection of an abnormal leak or settlement of the dyke. TenCate GeoDetect is implemented in partnership with geophyConsult and EDF.

Figure 48. Authion Loire levee upstream face

Figure 49. Authion Loire levee downstream face with the TenCate GeoDetect sensors S-BR

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TenCate GeoDetect Project Reference

Project
SNCF Arbois Dviation de Saint Saturnin Bukit Batok Breitengussbach Tokyo Science Univ Cheras wall and slope Krems Rodlauerbridge Styria Dakar Damansara modular walls MNDOT embankment North-route Ireland Carrires sous Poissy Maehongsorn road widening ASIRI project Authion Loire levee Marne to Rhine Canal IJkdijk Macrostability IJkdijk Piping Traismauer bridge Durga Temple Chelles Bourgouin Jailleux

Country
France France Singapore Germany Japan Malaysia Austria Austria Senegal Malaysia USA Ireland France Thailand France France France The Netherlands The Netherlands Austria India France France

Year
2004-2005 2004-2005 2004 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 2007 2007 2007 2008 2009 2009 2009 2009 2010

Application
Cavity Bridge Wall Slope Slope Research Slope Slope Slope Wall Wall Embankment Piled embankment Piled embankment Slope Piled embankment Flood protection levee Dike Dike Dike Bridge wall Wall Piled embankment Piled embankment

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Published Technical Papers

Briancon L., Nancey A., Caquel F., Villard P. (2004). New technology for strain measurements in soil and the survey of reinforced earth structures. 3rd Eurogeo Conference, Munich, Germany, 1-3 March 2004, pp 471-476. Brianon L., Nancey A., Robinet A., Voet M. (2006). Set up of a warning system integrated inside a reinforced geotextile for the survey of railway. Proc. 8th Int. Conf. on Geosynthetics, Yokohama, Japan. Geosyntetics, J. Kuwano & J. Koseki (eds), Balkema, Rotterdam: 857-860 Nancey A., Rossi D., Boons B. (2006). Survey of a bridge abutment reinforced by geosynthetics, with optic sensors integrated in geotextile. Proc. 8th Int. Conf. on Geosynthetics, Yokohama, Japan. J. Kuwano & J. Koseki (eds), Balkema, Rotterdam: 1071-1074 Loke K.H. (2007). Fibre optic technology in geosynthetic instrumentation for monitoring of soil structures. Proc 6th Southeast Asian Geotechnical Conf., 8-11 May 2007, Kuala Lumpur. Kongkitkul W., Kanemaru T., Hirakawa D., Tatsuoka F. (2007). Relaxation of tensile load mobilised in geosynthetic reinforcement arranged in sand. Kolkata, India Artires O., Bonelli S., Fabre J.-P., Guidoux C., Radzicki C., Royet P., Vedrenne C. (2007). Active and passive defenses against internal erosion. Proc.7th ICOLD European Club Dam Symposium. Freising (Munich), Germany, September 17-19, 2007. 10p. Radzicki K., Bonelli S., Beck Y.L. & Cunat P. (2009). Leakage and erosion processes identification by temperature measurements, in upstream part of earth hydraulic works using the impulse response function analysis method. European Working Group in Internal Erosion, St Petersburg, Russia. Artires O., Beck Y.L., Khan A.A., Cunat P., Fry J.-J., Courivaud J.-R., Guidoux C., Pinettes P., (2010a). Assessment of dams and dikes behavior with a fibre optics based monitoring solution. 2nd Conference on dam rehabilitation and Maintenance, Spain, November 23-25, 2010. Artires O. (2010b). La solution GeoDetect pour lauscultation des ouvrages en terre. The GeoDetect solution for earthworks monitoring. JNGG Conference, Grenoble, July 7-8, 2010 Beck Y.-L., Khan A. A., Cunat P., Guidoux C., Artires O., Mars J., Fry J.-J. (2010). Thermal monitoring of embankment dams by fiber optics. Proc. 8th ICOLD European Club Symposium on dam safety, Innsbruck, Austria; September 22-23, 2010. 2010 TenCate Geosynthetics TenCateGeoDetectSolutionWhitePaper

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The TenCate GeoDetect Solution

The Future of Geomonitoring Performance

www.tencategeodetect.com
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