IS 8282 ( Part-2) : 1996

Indian Standard
INSTALLATION, MAINTENANCE AND OBSERVATIONS
OF PORE PRESSURE MEASURING DEVICES IN
CONCRETE AND MASONRY DAMS -
CODE OF PRACTICE
PART 2 VIBRATING WIRE TYPE CELL

ICS 93.160;~91.220

0 BIS 1996

BUREAU OF INDIAN STANDARDS

MANAK BHAVAN, 9 BAHADUFCSHAH ZAFAR MARG
NEW DELHI 110002

October 1996 Price Group 3

Hydraulic Structures Instrumentation Sectional Committee, RVD 16

FOREWORD
This Indian Standard ( Part 2 ) was adopted by the Bureau of Indian Standards, after the draft finalized by the
Hydraulic Structures Instrumentation Sectional Committee had been approved by the River Valley Division
Council.

Stress and stability analysis of concrete and masonry dams is carried out by considering the existence of uplift
across different horizontal planes, having uplift intensity-distribution in accordance with the design criteria
in practice. The effect of the uplift is to induce instability on account of resulting buoyancy in weight of the
material in dam above the horizontal section under consideration.
Arrays of pore pressure cells in concrete and masonry at different elevations, spaced at suitable distances from
the upstream face, would provide information on the status of pore pressure at the time of observation.
Large concrete and masonry dams are provided with a row or rows of internal formed drains. A record of the
pore pressure development and its variations would indicate the effectiveness and adequacy of these drains. At
the same time, any sudden and significant variations in the pore pressure development may be indicative of
some structural damage or deficiency in the dam material, warranting timely remedial measures being undertaken.
For measuring the pore~pressures in the body of concrete and masonry dams, the following device/instruments
are used:
a) Uplift pressure pipes; and
b) Electrical pressure cells which maybe of two types, namely
1) Electrical resistance Jype pore pressure cells, and
2) Vibrating wire type pore pressure cells. .

Uplift pressure pipes and electrical resistance type pressure cells are covered in IS 6532: 1972 ‘Code of practice
for design, installation, observation and maintenance of uplift pressure pipes for hydraulic structures on permeable
foundations’ and IS 8282 ( Part 1 ) : 1976 ‘Code of practice for installation, maintenance and observation of
pore pressure measuring devices in concrete and masonry dams: Part 1 Electrical resistance type cell’ respectively.
This standard, Part 2 covers the vibrating wire type pressure cells only.
In the formulation of this standard due weightage has been given to international co-ordination among the
standards and practices prevailing in different countries. In addition, the practices in the field in this country
have also been considered.
For the purpose of deciding whether a particular requirement of this standard is complied with, the final value,
observed or calculated, expressing the result of a test or analysis, shall be rounded off in accordance with
IS 2 : 1960 ‘Rules for rounding off numeiical values ( revised )‘. The number of significant places retained
in the rounded off value should be the same as that of the specified value in this standard.
 IS 8282 ( Part 2 ) : 1996

Indian Standard
INSTALLATION, MAINTENANCE AND OBSERVATIONS
OF PORE PRESSURE MEASURING DEVICES IN
CON-CRETE AND MASONRY DAMS -
CODE -OF PRACTICE
PART 2 VIBRATING WIRE TYPE CELL

1 SCOPE 4 NUMBER AND LOCATION

This standard ( Part 2 ) covers the details of installation, Representative blocks of the dam should be selected
maintenance and observation of vibrating wire type for the installation of these cells. Generally one of
pore pressure measuring cells in concrete and masonry the deepest overflow and non-overflow sections should
dams. be selected for instrumentation. The cells should
2 REFERENCES be installed in two or three levels in rows. The bottom
row of pore pressure cells may be located a little
The Indian Standard IS 10334: 1982 ‘Code of practice above the foundation level ( say about 1.5 m ) or as
for selection, splicing, installation and providing may be required by the design. The second row may
protection to the open ends of cables used for be installed at one-third or half the height of the dam.
connecting resistance type measuring devices in The spacing of the cells in each row may be 10 to
concrete and masonry dams’ is a necessary adjunct 15 metres along the width of the dam.
to this standard.
5 EQUIPMENT
3 INSTRUMENT
The equipment consists of vibrating wire type pore
3.1 Vibrating Wire Type Pore Pressure Cell -
pressure transducer, a signal cable and a frequency
Operating Principle
indicator/read out unit.
.
The basic principle of the vibrating wire transducer
is that the change in natural frequency of stretched 5.1 Transducer
wire depends on the change of the tension in the wire.
A typical vibrating wire type piezometer assembly
In this instrument, one end of the gauge wire is attached
is illustrated in Fig. 1.
to the centre of circular membrane and the other
end is secured to the top of the transducer housing. The pressure transducer consists of a hollow
Fluid pressure applied to the membrane causes cylindrical body made of non-corrodable metal like
deflection of the membrane with consequent change ferro-manganese, bronze or stainless steel. The body
in the tension of the wire and its resonant frequency. houses a stainless steel membrane to which one end
Thus~the frequency of the gauge wire is a measure of the vibrating wire element is secured. The other
of the deflection of the membrane which is end of the vibrating wire element is secured to the
proportional to the pressure change. body. Close to this wire element a magnet assembly
is mounted. Cable connections are taken out from
3.1.1 The main advantages of vibrating wire type the magnet assembly through the top end of the
instruments are given below: piezometer body and sealed with protective seal to
prevent leakage of water.to the vibrating wire assembly.
a) Easy to read.
The magnet assembly connected through the cable
b) Effects of signal cable resistance, contact to the frequency indicator should be capable of exciting
resistance’, leakage to ground or length of and picking up the frequency of vibrations that are
signal cable are negligible. read on the indicator. The transducer should
c) Frequency signal permits datatransmission incorporate suitable diodes for over-voltage protection
over long distance and thus suitable for to avoid damage from transient voltages and lightening,
remote observation. etc.
IS 8282 ( Part 2 ) : 1996

READOUT UNIT

MAGNET SYSTEM

VIBRATING WIRE

PERFORATEDSTEEL MEMBRANE

RUBBER MEMBRANE

FILTER

Principle of Vibrating-Wire Type Piezometer

GLAND BODY

FIG. 1 TYPICALVIBRATING
WIRETYPEPIEZOMIXER
ASSEMBLY
.

The lower end of the transducer body houses a filter wire piezometer shall be TO.1 percent of full range.
element of low or high air entry value. The filter
5.2 Signal Cable
elements should be made of either Sintered Bronze
or Ceramic. Cable to connect the transducer to the-readout unit
should be selected depending on the environments
The permeability and bubbling pressure ( pressure in which the cable is laid.
of entry of air ) of filter element should be as follows:
For normal environment; cables with two core single
Material Permeability Bubbling Pressure pair cable with annealed copper conductors and with
copper shielding; heavy PVC coating should be
Sintered lo-’ cm/s 0.1 bar adequate.’ However in adverse environments, steel
bronze armoured petroleum jelly filled and polyethylene
Ceramic insulated cable should be used. Heavily armoured
10.’ cm/s to 1 bar to 4.5 bar
cables with 10, 20 or more pairs should be used to
10.’ cm/s
connect junction boxes to the instrument houses.
The diameter of the piezometer should generally be 5.3 Readout/Data Logger
32 mm for normal applications. In special cases
piezometer of other diameters, say, 42 mm or 78 A simple, portable, battery operated readout unit with
mm may be used. 4-Digit LCD display should be used. Calibration
data for each transducer should be provided when a
The working range of the piezometer should be up to simple readout unit to ready frequency is used, for
20 bar. However, capacities up to 60 bar may be used converting the frequency readings to relevant
for special applications. The accuracy of the vibrating engineering units.

2
 IS 8282 ( Part 2 ) : 1996
Readout units wiih facility to read the relevant near the top of a lift, where placement can be
engineering units directly on the display may be used accomplished after concreting in the area has been
in place of the frequency readout units. completed. A hole just large enough to accommodate
the instrument and about 300 mm deep should be
Sophisticated Datalogging with Microprocessor/
dug at the desired location. Fine sand cushioning
_Microcontroller for remote sensing and centralised
should be provided before placing mortar around the
logging/controlling capabilities may also be employed. instrument.
6 CALIBRATION
7.2.2 Frames or brackets to hold the cell in position
Each transducer should be calibrated separately on during embedment, should not be used, since these
a suitable calibrating system in the laboratory prior would possibly provide a leakage path directly, to
to taking the instrument to field for installation. It the cell. Concrete or mortar (as the case may be)
is not practicable to recalibrate a sensor after should be placed by hand around the instrument and
installation and therefore good long term stability tamped lightly so as to obtain contact between the
of the sensors is important to obtain reliable results, body of the cell and the surrounding concrete/masonry.
The sensor should be capable of being overloaded Excessive tamping of the concrete/masonry should
to 1.5 times its rated capacity. While calibrating be avoided as this would result in a highly impermeable
the sensors, the transducers should be over-loaded zone around the cell and affect the normal build-up
by 10 percent at least 10 times to stabilize the of hydrostatic pressure. After embedment, a
calibrated readings. Each transducer should be temporary cover of boards laid over the cell locations
provided with a separate calibration certificate. provide protection until the concrete/mortar has
hardened. The ends of cables attached to the pore
Usually the gauge wire and the body of the transducer pressure cells which remain uncovered for a while
are made of materials having similar coefficient of until these are properly terminated in a terminal board.
thermal expansion so that temperature variations, should be protected by cable protection caps. This
if any, have minor influence on the readings. The precaution is considered necessary with..a view tb
transducers are to be calibrated in various temperatures prevent moisture and water entering the pore pressure
within its working range and the thermal coefficient cells through the cable ends.
should be recorded in calibration certificate.
7.3 Cables and Conduits
7 INSTALLATION
It is advisable to calculate in advance the exact length
7.1 Saturation of cable required to be attached with each_of the cells
as the splicing should be avoided to the extent possible.
7.1.1 The tip of the piezometer containing the filter
element should be detached from the transducer. The 7.3.1 In estimating the length of the cable to be added,
ceramic element should be boiled in clean water for a suitable route between the point of embedment of
about 10 minutes. The water with the filter should the instrument and the terminal station in the~gallery
then be cooled and the transducer body should be should be selected by study of the drawings. In
attached to the filter element under water. The selecting the route, due consideration should be given
assembly should be kept-soaked in water for at least to the construction procedures involved in placing
24 h before installation. In case of Sintered Bronze the concrete/masonry where the instrument is to be
~element, only immersion in distilled water for about embedded and to possible obstructions along the
30 min is sufficient. chosen route. After the selected route has been
verified, the length of the cable required should be
If the piezometer is used in a borehole, the tip and
estimated, and a small amount usually 10 percent or
filter should be covered by a rubber membrane to
2 m, whichever is larger, should be added to allow
prevent escape of water from the filter element before
for extra length required due to normal variations
the piezometer reaches the ground water level. A
from the selected route. The length of the cable
string should be connected to the end of this rubber
should-be limited as far as possible. In any case it
membrane for pulling the membrane off the filter
should not exceed 80 m.
element when the water level is reached.
7.3.2 In general, cables are run horizontally without
7.2 Placement of Piezometer
conduit in the concrete and in conduits in the
7.2.1 The pore pressure cells are usually located masonry and run in downward and upward

3
IS 8282 ( Part 2 ) : 1996

directions in conduits both in the concrete and the consequently. The normal prefix used for pore pressure
masonry. The conduit may be of any material which cells is PP. When the cable lead is connected to a
will not collapse in the fresh concrete/masonry. The cell, an identification band with the instrument
size of the conduit may be chosenin accordance with identification number should be stamped or punched
the procedure given in IS 10334 : 1982. on it and crimped to the cable about 900 mm from
the cell. A similar band should be crimped about 300
7.3.3 If the cable leads are to cross contraction
mm from the free end of the cable. In addition a
joints in the structure, a slack cable recess should
few more markers, consisting of the identification
be provided at the crossing point. This may consist
number marked on white tape and covered with linen
of a wooden box block out, forming a recess into
and friction tape, should be placed around the cable
which the cable is run. During placement of concrete/
near the reading end.
masonry in the adjacent block, a 300 mm loop of
slack cable should be left in the unfilled block out 7.5 Terminal Boxes
and the remaining length of cable laid in the usual
7.5.1 Location of Terminal Boxes
manner.
Permanent facilities for taking readings are provided
7.3.4 Cables should be threaded individually into
in terminal recess usually located in blockouts on
the conduit, so that each cable could support its own
walls of galleries nearest to the instruments. The
weight. At the entrance of the cables into the conduits
reading stations for all embedded instruments in a
suitable protection such as padding with burlap, should
monolith should be located in same monolith if
be provided around each cable and in the interstices
possible, to avoid running of cable leads across
between the cables to prevent sharp bends and to
contraction joints. Separate terminal recesses for
prevent the entry of concrete/mortar and grout into
cable leads from different types of instruments are
the conduit.
not required. Where a gallery or similar semi-
7.3.5 Group of cables running horizontally in a protected location is not available, a conveniently
concrete lift may be taped together at intervals and accessible exterior location may be selected and
laid on the top of the last but one layer of concrete secured against unauthorized tampering.
in the lift, covered with pads of fresh concrete/mortar
7.5.2 Lighting
at several points along the length. The placement of
the final concrete lift layer should be allowed to Normal gallery lighting is usually not adequate and
proceed in the normal manner. a supplementary fixture for lighting should be provided
at the terminal reading station. .
7.3.6 The layout shouId be so planned that cells and
terminal boxes are located in the same block. 7.5.3 Moisture Prevention

7.3.7 In cases where a number of cables from widely To reduce corrosion at the cable terminals and panel
spread points are collected at one central point and board connections, which is usually a serious problem
run downward into a conduit, a very successful plan in dam galleries, an electrical strip heater or
is to run the cable in two steps. A collecting box or incandescent lamp should be installed within the
concrete form is erected around the grouped conduits terminal recesses and permanently kept on. A bulb
so that the lift is left about 450 mm low at the provided in the recess for lighting may also serve
conduits. During the placement of the concrete in this purpose.
which the cells are embedded, the cables arebrought
7.5.4 Installing Terminal Equipment
horizontally to the collection point, coiled and hung
out of the fresh concrete. As soon as the concrete After all the cable leads have been brought into a
has set sufficiently to bear traffic, the cable coils terminal recess, the surplus lengths of cables should
are taken down the conduit to the terminal boxes. be cut off and the end of individual conductors prepared
The advantage is that it is much easier to sort out for permanent connection to the panel board or
and run the cables when they are not muddled with terminal strip. Proper care should be taken for
fresh concrete/mortar. identification of the cables and cells.
7.4 Identification of Cables and Cells 8 COLLECTION OF COMPLEMENTA4RY
DATA
Each cell should be identified by some kind of code
number. A preferable identification mark is a letter 8.1 The collection of related and supporting data
prefix designating the type of instrument and numbered pertaining to structural behaviour is an integral part

4
 IS 8282 ( Part 2 ) : 1996
of the instrumentation programme, and should The value of calibration factor K and the value of
proceed concurrently with the installation of the constant A provided by the instrument manufacturer
instruments and the readings of the embedded by calibrating the instruments in the factory.
instruments. Types of information required to support
or clarify the instrument observation results include The values of K and A are substituted in the following
the following: formulae to arrive at the value of frequency F of the
vibrating wire at ‘t’ “C.
a) Construction Progress - schematic
concretelmasonary placing diagram showing P = K [(f,*-f)+C(t-t,J -A
lift placement dates, concrete placing
where
temperatures and lift thickness.
K = calibration factor (barlflZ*),
b) Concrete Mixes cement contents, water-
-
f, = zero frequency (HZ2)at tOoC,
cement ratios, and typical combined
aggregates gradings for interior and exterior f = frequency, (HZ) at t”C,
mixes.
P = pressure (bar) at t”C,
c> Fine Aggregate - typical fine aggregate c = coefficient of temperature HZ2/“C,
gradings, before and after mixing.
A = zero offset (bar),
d) Air Entrained amount of entrained air,
-
to = temperature of instrument at the time
admixture used, how introduced. of calibration in ‘C, and
t = temperature of instrument at the time
e) Cement Type - source or sources, physical
and chemical properties, including heat of of observation in “C.
hydration. 9.2 The observations of the pore pressure cells should
begin as soon as the instruments are covered and
0 Aggregate - types of geologic may continue at gradually increased time intervals.
classification, petrographic description, The pore pressures within concrete/masonry develop
sources, and chemical properties. slowly and occur only when hydrostatic head is
sustained for an extendedperiod against the upstream
Curing and Insulation - type and method
concrete/masonry surface. The pore pressure cells ’
of curing, type, location and duration of
may be read initially at 1 to 3 h intervals after
insulation protection, if any.
embedment and subsequent readings may be taken
Pool Elevations - daily reservoir and at weekly intervals after the reservoir level has reached
tailwater elevations. the level of the instruments and until the operating
reservoir elevation has been attained and twice monthly
j) Foundation Conditions - final rock thereafter.
elevations, unusual geologic features.
10 RECORD OF OBSERVATION AND
Much of the information listed above will usually METHOD OF ANALYSIS
be available from investigations carried out prior to
and during the project design stage or may be obtained The observations made of the embedded cells should
under usual construction control operations. be suitably recorded. A recommended proforma for
the record of observations and for transfer if
8.1.1 Observers should be alert to detect cracks or observations to a permanent record in office is given
similar evidences of structural distress which ~may in Annex A. This data sheet form may be got printed
develop; and record time of occurrence, initial size in advance upon which the observation! can be noted
and extent and subsequent changes in size and extent, as they are taken and for preparation of permanent
and any corrective action taken. records.
9 OBSERVATIONS Alternatively, if a Central Data Acquisition System
9.1 The readings of resonant frequency change should is used, the data is automatically collected and
be taken with the help of readout unit. presented in the formats required by the method of
analysis used.
IS 8282 ( Part 2 ) : 1996

ANNEX A
( Clause 10 )

PROFORMA FOR RECORD OFOBSERVATIONS OF VIBRATING WJRE TYPE PORE

PRESSURE CELL

Project :

a) Instrument Name
b) Instrument Manufacturer :

Location :

Initial frequency f, : Calibration Temp (t,)

Calibration Factor (K) : Temperature Coefficient
Zero Offsets (A) :

PorePressure P=K[(r-fZ)+C(t-to)].+.4

Date R.WL Temp of Observed Change in Pore Pore Remarks

in m Location Frequency Frequency Pressure Pressure
of Cell (f) H, <L-f Wz (P) Bar in Metres
(t)“c of Water
Head

Observer’s Signature:

Date:

6
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This Indian Standard has been developed from Dot : No. RVD 16 ( 178 )

Amendments Issued Since Publication

Amend No. Date of Issue Text Affected

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