AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON MONITORING THE SHEAR DEFORMATIONS IN THE SHALLOW SECTION OF SLOPES TO SENSE AN INCREASE OF THE POTENTIAL RISK OF FAILURE

Abstract

Slope failures frequently cause labour accidents in construction sites. It is also known that even a small collapse can cause serious injury to workers. The Short Pipe Strain transducer (SPS) was developed to measure increments of shear strain in the shallow section of slopes, and then its applicability was investigated by Centrifuge model tests and Prototype model tests. Clear increases in the responses of strains (r_s) were measured with progress of slope cuttings in the series of tests prior to failure. In particular, creep strain curves were observed in loam ground. A couple of minutes could be provided by monitoring either 2nd or 3rd creep. Accordingly, it was confirmed that SPS does not only measure the slope movement but also senses an increase of the potential risk of slope failure.