Embedded Sensors Could Make Tunnel Monitoring Safer

Brief 

Denmark-based civil engineering monitoring specialist Worldsensing hopes to eliminates the hazard and expense of installing monitors in tunnels by embedding sensors in concrete segments before installation by a tunnel boring machine. The sensors are placed in a polymer casing contained in concrete segments that position the casing flush with the inner surface of the tunnel lining.

Insight

Dare protected with insulating resin. The only part that remains open us the USB port, which could be needed for configuration purposes.The embedded sensors allow engineers to receive data about the tunnel lining’s stability as soon as the segments are installed.

The sensors can immediately send data up to 100m away to a gateway installed in the head of the TBM, giving engineers almost instantaneous information. Once the TBM has moved far enough away that it stops interfering with the data transmission, the communications can be sent to other gateways up to 3km away in a straight line or 800m around curves.

The monitoring units include Worldsensing’s five-channel data logger that transmits data throughout the lifespan of the lining and is compatible with any industry-standard visualisation software. They are powered by batteries that can last up to 10 years.

Worldsensing estimates that this could reduce the time and effort involved in tunnel construction by up to 25%. It is also expecting to see the innovation used on other types of construction, including shafts, bridge pillars, diaphragm wells, precast foundations and more.

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Tunnel lining innovation increases safety and efficiency of sensor installation
07 SEP, 2022 BY ROB HAKIMIAN

Danish civil engineering monitoring specialist Worldsensing has launched an innovation that will allow monitors to be installed and activated as the tunnel lining is installed, improving safety and efficiency.

Currently, the tunnel excavation process has to be paused at intervals to allow monitors to be installed into the lining’s inner surface. This can take hours, is costly and involves engineers entering tunnels that do not yet have monitors in place, which means the security of the structure is not assured and risk is higher.