2134/34459
T. Biller
T.
Biller
Alister Smith
Alister
Smith
Neil Dixon
Neil
Dixon
Early detection of seepage-induced internal erosion using acoustic emission monitoring
Loughborough University
2018
untagged
Built Environment and Design not elsewhere classified
2018-08-13 08:14:20
Conference contribution
https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/conference_contribution/Early_detection_of_seepage-induced_internal_erosion_using_acoustic_emission_monitoring/9436676
Techniques for monitoring water-retaining earth structures are currently limited in their capacity to detect seepage-induced internal erosion (e.g. suffusion) in its early stages, or before serious damage
has occurred. Acoustic emission (AE) is widely used in many industries for non-destructive assessment of materials and systems, but despite its advantages it is seldom used in geotechnical engineering as the AE generated by particulate materials is highly complex and difficult to measure
and interpret. This project aims to develop the interpretation of AE generated by seepage-induced internal instability phenomena. A continuous, real-time AE early warning system for detecting seepage erosion mechanisms and processes will enable safety-critical decisions to be made. Laboratory testing with a large permeameter apparatus is being used to characterise and quantify the
AE generated by the hydromechanical behaviour of a range of internally unstable soils. Initial results show that key processes such as the internal movement of particles can be measured and interpreted using AE.