Abstract
One of the most intricate branches of metrology involves the monitoring of displacements and deformations of natural and anthropogenic structures under environmental forces, such as tidal or tectonic phenomena, or ground water level changes. Technological progress has changed the measurement process, and steadily increasing accuracy requirements have led to the continued development of new measuring instruments. The adoption of an appropriate measurement strategy, with proper instruments suited for the characteristics of the observed structure and its environmental conditions, is of high priority in the planning of deformation monitoring processes. This paper describes the use of precise digital inclination sensors in continuous monitoring of structural deformations. The topic is treated from two viewpoints: (i) evaluation of the performance of inclination sensors by comparing them to static and continuous GPS observations in deformation monitoring and (ii) providing a strategy for analyzing the structural deformations. The movements of two case study objects, a tall building and a geodetic monument in Istanbul, were separately monitored using dual-axes micro-radian precision inclination sensors (inclinometers) and GPS. The time series of continuous deformation observations were analyzed using the Least Squares Spectral Analysis Technique (LSSA). Overall, the inclinometers showed good performance for continuous monitoring of structural displacements, even at the sub-millimeter level. Static GPS observations remained insufficient for resolving the deformations to the sub-centimeter level due to the errors that affect GPS signals. With the accuracy advantage of inclination sensors, their use with GPS provides more detailed investigation of deformation phenomena. Using inclinometers and GPS is helpful to be able to identify the components of structural responses to the natural forces as static, quasi-static, or resonant.
Highlights
It is essential to determine the type, characteristics and scale of movements of a spatial structure or object under load from environmental forces to understand the potential probability of permanent damage or eventual destruction of the structure [1,2,3,4,5,6]
Because the main objective of this research is to investigate the performance of inclination sensors in monitoring structural deformations, the sensors were deployed at the top (17th) floor of a 54-meter high building in Istanbul, as the top floor is where the maximum displacements were expected
After analyzing the building movements in the frequency domain based on inclination data, we evaluated them in the space domain using Global Positioning System (GPS) data [30]
Summary
It is essential to determine the type, characteristics and scale of movements of a spatial structure or object under load from environmental forces to understand the potential probability of permanent damage or eventual destruction of the structure [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Various deformation monitoring and analysis approaches have traditionally been used [1,7,8,9,10,11,12,13] to ensure safe operation and usage of such structures. The construction and management of such structures will be most cost-effective when the causes of deformation can be discovered and prevented. It remains an open question how best to detect significant deformations with an adequate level of precision [2,7,14,15,16,17]. The progress of technology has resulted in improved precision of measurement systems, yielding more reliable results in deformation analysis of structures [18]. In addition to conventional terrestrial surveying methods using theodolites/total-stations, levels and similar surveying equipments, satellite-based positioning techniques (Global Navigation Satellite Systems, or GNSS, including GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and Compass) have seen widespread use in structure monitoring
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