Experimental investigation on performance monitoring of the combined optical fiber transducer in landslide

Abstract

An innovative combined optical fiber transducer (COFT) based on the optical fiber bending loss characteristic has been developed for landslide monitoring. To better understand the working principle and improve the monitoring performance of the transducer, the capability of the COFT for exploring subsurface properties of slopes (sliding direction, magnitude, and rate of slope movement) and the deformation compatibility between the COFT and surrounding geo-materials were explained semi-empirically and semi-theoretically, which was also verified by the laboratory shear experiments of the COFTs constructed with two kinds of host materials (expanded polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride) and three kinds ratios of cement mortars (sand to cement 1:4, 1:5, and 1:6) and the related numerical simulation. In the following, model monitoring tests of an artificial slope and field monitoring application of the proposed COFTs in a field slope were carried out and the progressive slope movements were effectively determined, which validated the performance of the proposed COFT in landslide monitoring.