Construction Monitoring

Construction
Monitoring
For Earth Dams
Reasons for Construction

Monitoring
Ensure proper materials are used
Ensure proper construction and design is
followed
Quickly modify design and construction
practices based on encountered site
conditions
IT IS IMPERATIVE TO HAVE FULL TIME SITE

INSPECTION
Inspection Requirements
Must not hinder or slow down contractor
Must work with contractor
Must consider contractor construction
practices
Construction Monitoring
MATERIALS
Grain size distribution analysis of materials
Core, filters, drains

Make sure material installed meets
specifications
Make sure that the borrow materials do not
change
MATERIAL tests
Triaxial extension/shear filter and core
Consolidation core mv
Hydraulic conductivity
Lab tests:
filters - Constant or falling head
core triaxial
Field clay:
Double ring infiltrometer
Centrifuge permeanometer
Proctor Tests
Source materials in borrow pit

Materials hauled to site
Field Compaction
Uncompacted layer thickness (300mm max)

Compaction equipment is suitable
Moisture content and Maximum dry density
Nuclear Density, sand cone, rubber balloon
Make sure Nuclear density is calibrated
Goal of Compaction
Place loose soil in the field and compact it

to make soil strong as possible
Maximum shear strength

Very little settlement
Low hydraulic conductivity
Find soil lowest emin highest dry unit weight
Knead Clay Chunks

Sheepsfoot roller
Soil compacted wet

optimum will be
ductile and self
healing
Soils compacted dry of
optimum will be brittle
and suspectible to
cracking
Specify optimum plus
2% for clay cores
Soil Compaction
Measurement
Soil Compaction
Measurement
Use dry sand with

known dry density and
specific gravity
Use dry sand to get
volume of hole
Quick and reliable
method
Soil Compaction
Measurement
Use radioactive
material to get
moisture content and
soil density
Quick method
Reliable if calibrated
Radioactive device
therefore special
transportation and
rules must be followed
Compaction Specification
Compaction level (%)
Insitu dry unit weight

x 100
Max. dry unit weight (Proctor)
Standard Proctor Specification

95 to 100 percent of MDUW
Modified Proctor Specification
92 to 98 percent of MDUW
Compaction Specification
95% Field
Specification
Make sure compacted

soil same as Proctor
material (grain size
distribution analysis)
Add water to soil if too
dry
Field Instrumentation
Measure performance of structure during
construction
Long-term monitoring of structure
behaviour and health
Must not impact structure performance
Geotechnical instrumentation can reduce

undesirable consequences from construction.
These consequences may be the results of
adverse performances, damage to the adjacent
facility and/or delays.
Justification for
Instrumentation
Engineers should developed justifications
for geotechnical instrumentation program on
their projects
In practice such programs are used to save
lives, save money and/ or reduce risk of
failure
In concept, these are simple and easy to

understand benefits but in practice it is
difficult to quantify
Reasons to Install
Instrumentation
Indicate impending failures

Provide a warning
Reveal unknowns
Evaluate critical design assumptions
Assess contractor's means and methods
Minimize damage to the adjacent structures
Control construction
Control operation
Provide data to help select remedial methods to fix
problems
Documents performance for assessing damages
Inform stakeholders
Satisfy regulators
Reduce litigation
Advanced state- of knowledge
Field Instrumentation
Piezometers
Excess pwp in core during compaction

Uplift pressures
Foundation head loss
Core pheatic surface
Inclinometers
Stability of slopes and foundations
Settlement gauges
Extensometers
Total earth pressures (soil arching)
Suggested Piezometer locations
Earth fill dam:

1- Control placement of fill, monitor pwp to find shear strength and measure uplift pressure
2- Control placement of fill, monitor pwp to find shear strength and measure uplift pressure
and monitor seepage
3- Control placement of fill and monitor seepage.
Piezometer
Inclinometers:
Monitor lateral earth movements in embankment e.g. detect movement of

D/S of earth fill dam, particularly during impounding. Determine type of
shear and zone in foundation. Monitor stability of U/S slope during and
after impounding. Determine depth, direction, magnitude and rate of
movement
Inclinomet
er
system
(Courtesy of N.
Sivakugan,
James Cook University,

Australia)
Inclinometer:
Embankment
:
Locate shear zone and help identify whether shear is planner or circular
Measure the movement at the shear zone. Determine whether the
movement is constant, accelerating or slowing.
Inclinometer must be founded into solid foundation
5- Tilt meter: Monitor changes in the tilt of the structure. Activities such as
dewatering, tunnelling, excavation causes settlement or lateral
deformation. Placement of surcharge and pressure may cause heaves. Dam
impounding, excavation beyond diaphragm wall etc.
Monitor differential settlement
Dewatering
6- Settlement cell: Pneumatic settlement provide a single point

measurement of settlement. They can be read from central location and
arte particularly useful where asses is difficult. Monitor consolidation
during construction and long term settlement in the foundation of
the fill.
Earth fill dam
Settlement cell
Monitor long term settlement and consolidation in the

foundation of embankments
Settlement cell
7- Bore hole extensometer: Monitor settlement heaves, convergence, and

lateral deformation in the soil and rock
For vertical settlement profile
Borehole extensometer:
Earth fill dam:

Monitor vertical settlement in the toe of the dam ( Magnetic
extensometer)
Borehole extensometer
Embankment
:
Monitor settlement to determine when construction can continue. ( Magnetic

extensometer used inside the inclinometer)
8- Total pressure cell: Measured combined pressure of effective stress and

pwp
Embankment dam
Verify assumptions and warn of the soil pressures in excess of those
a structure is designed to withstand. It determine distribution,
magnitude and direction of the total stress.
Earth pressure cell
(Courtesy of N. Sivakugan, James Cook University, Australia)
Total pressure cell
Rock fill dam
SM: Strong motion accelerograph ( for monitoring earth tremors) TS: temperature
sensor EX: Extensometer( Identify movement of dam base and ground at base) PZ:
piezometers PC: Pressure cell W: V-Notch weir SC: settlement cell WL: water level
meter
Earthfill dam
SM: Strong motion accelerograph ( for monitoring earth tremors) TS: temperature
sensor EX: Extensometer( Identify movement of dam base and ground at base) PZ:
piezometers PC: Pressure cell W: V-Notch weir SC: settlement cell WL: water level
meter
Key Components for Design of

Instrumentation
Put in redundancy
Protect equipment from contractors
Instruments will get lost due to construction activities

Equipment will stop working
Put in safe areas
Mark equipment
Protect it during installation and post installation
Spend money so can remotely monitor and

collect data
Consider data analysis cost
Key References
Geotechnical Instrumentation for Monitoring Field
Performance by John Dunnicliff 1993 Wiley & Sons
Rock Slope Engineering by Hoek & Bray 3rd Edition
Can be downloaded from web. By searching Evert
Hoek
US Corps of Engineers- Instrumentation of
Embankments Dams and Levees (posted on course
website)

Construction Monitoring

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Construction

Reasons for Construction

IT IS IMPERATIVE TO HAVE FULL TIME SITE

Core, filters, drains

Source materials in borrow pit

Uncompacted layer thickness (300mm max)

Place loose soil in the field and compact it

Maximum shear strength

Find soil lowest emin highest dry unit weight

Knead Clay Chunks

Soil compacted wet

Use dry sand with

Insitu dry unit weight

Standard Proctor Specification

Make sure compacted

Geotechnical instrumentation can reduce

In concept, these are simple and easy to

Indicate impending failures

Excess pwp in core during compaction

Stability of slopes and foundations

Suggested Piezometer locations

Earth fill dam:

Monitor lateral earth movements in embankment e.g. detect movement of

James Cook University,

Inclinometer must be founded into solid foundation

Monitor differential settlement

6- Settlement cell: Pneumatic settlement provide a single point

Earth fill dam

Monitor long term settlement and consolidation in the

7- Bore hole extensometer: Monitor settlement heaves, convergence, and

For vertical settlement profile

Earth fill dam:

Monitor settlement to determine when construction can continue. ( Magnetic

8- Total pressure cell: Measured combined pressure of effective stress and

Earth pressure cell

(Courtesy of N. Sivakugan, James Cook University, Australia)

Total pressure cell

Rock fill dam

Key Components for Design of

Protect equipment from contractors

Instruments will get lost due to construction activities

Spend money so can remotely monitor and

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