Brief Communication: A low cost Arduino®-based wire extensometer for earth flow monitoring

Abstract

Abstract. Continuous monitoring of earth flow displacement is essential for the understanding of the dynamic of the process, its ongoing evolution and to design mitigation measures. Despite its importance, it is not always applicable due to its expensiveness, and the need of integration with additional sensors for monitoring factors controlling movement. To overcome these problems, we developed and tested a low-cost Arduino-based wire-rail extensometer integrating a datalogger, a power system and multiple digital and analog inputs. The system is equipped with a high precision position transducer that in the test configuration offers a measuring range of 1023 mm and an associate accuracy of ±1 mm and integrates an operating temperature sensor that should allow to identify and correct potential thermal drift that typically affects this kind of systems. Field test, conducted at the Pietrafitta earth flow where additional monitoring systems had been installed, indicates a high reliability of the measurement and a high monitoring stability without visible thermal drift.

Clay landslide movement triggered by artificial vibrations: new insights from monitoring data

“…Positive values correspond to the northern and eastern directions. This instrument was associated to an Arduino-based wire/rail extensometer (tested by Guerriero et al 2017b) consisting of a (i) processing and storage module, (ii) an on-board operating temperature sensor, (iii) a linear position transducer, and (iv) a power unit. The processing and storage modules are an Arduino Uno board and a XD-05 data logging shield, respectively, while the position transducer, responsible for measuring cumulated displacement, is a 1Kohms Bourns 3540S-1-102L precision potentiometer equipped with a pulley of 33 mm in diameter.…”

Application of a Low-Cost Strain Monitoring System Based on Internet of Things to the Structural Analysis of Physical Models

“…the construction phase (with special attention to the formwork removal process) or also for rehabilitation (velocity of opening of cracks). Also, other applications regarding soil-structure seismic interaction or earth flow monitoring have been proposed [8]. It is worth noting that more usual, expensive devices, seldom allows any interaction with Internet, which might be a very useful capability for in-situ measurements of different magnitudes and their simultaneous management at different sites.…”

Thermal Compensation of Low-Cost MEMS Accelerometers for Tilt Measurements

“…In this context, recently developed low-cost MEMS accelerometers and other low-cost sensors provide an opportunity to overcome this drawback, also considering that they are particularly suitable for tilt measurement [ 8 ]. In fact, they are being increasingly used in monitoring applications also in association with open-source controlling platforms such as Arduino ® [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ].…”