Monitoring in Geotechnical Engineering: Possibilities Advantages and Limits

Abstract

Modern engineering is continually being developed to achieve a more economic and at the same time safe structure. The monitoring systems nowadays play a very important role as a main part of the design procedure and as a tool to prove the safety and serviceability requirements. The rapid development of the infrastructure makes the application of highly developed monitoring systems, particularly in geotechnical engineering, a challenging task for civil engineers. This paper presents the main aspects of how to design and perform a geotechnical monitoring program and how to evaluate the measurements. Three case histories will be presented to demonstrate the practical applications of monitoring programs in conjunction with special numerical analyses to achieve a safe structure regarding the serviceability requirements as well as an economical design regarding the total cost. These case histories include: embankment on compressible soil, piled raft foundation and deep pit excavation. The possibilities, the advantages and the need of highly developed geotechnical monitoring systems will be discussed.