Abstract
Building inclinations can be measured through the use of ultrasonic hydrostatic levelers. These are used to measure long-term relative displacements of vertical parts of structures and utilize the principle of communicating vessels (similar to the classic water scales). The presented ultrasonic displacement measurement technique was developed by Ultrasystem in the 1990s and was applied to several objects in Poland. Long-term measurements enabled the development of a model of object behavior under the influence of various factors. Among these are the annual cycle of temperature changes, fluctuating water levels, turbine chamber emptying, etc. Such a model can facilitate the prediction of failure based on the appearance of changes deviating from typical behavior (e.g., a much stronger dependence of the inclination as a function of the water level). The results obtained with the help of ultrasonic sensors enable the observation of subtle deformations of the object, which is valuable when developing and calibrating new models of the object (e.g., by means of the finite element method).
Highlights
The purpose of which is permanent or seasonal water damming, are exposed to ground degradation by filtration and the aging of construction materials [3]. Their design must take into account exposure to extreme natural conditions, such as hydrological or seismic phenomena. This uncertainty is offset by the so-called safety margin—the result of load factors and construction material parameters assumed for the design—which is guaranteed at all the stages of construction and use [4]
The balance between both vessels is conditional upon equal hydrostatic pressure at the fluid tube level; : g1 (T1 )·H1 = g2 (T2 )·H2 where: g1 (T1 ) and g2 (T2 )—fluid density for temperatures thus: g1 (T1) and T2, and
The solutions presented and results obtained confirm the high level of long-term stability of the sensors, as well as their measurement accuracy
Summary
A feeling that inevitably accompanies design, construction and the use of each and every structure, including hydraulic structures, is that of limited and unavoidable uncertainty—the uncertainty resulting from the limited accuracy of ground exploration or related with the intensity of the effects and impacts of natural or other random factors [1,2]. The key tasks of the expert team include conducting regular visual inspections, interpreting the observation results on an as-is basis and explaining the causes of material deviations from the projected values, as well as updating the threshold values for the purposes of the warning function The importance of these tasks for ensuring the safety, continuous serviceability and elimination of losses caused by possible failures grows proportionally to the level of uncertainty in terms of the ground examination and gradual changes of its parameters, technical conditions and sensitivity of construction, in addition to the possible values and mutual configurations of the short-term and long-term variable loads [7]. That is why the principle of the sensors operation and the measurement results processing have been described in detail in this paper
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
