5. Monitoring techniques

When reinforcement work is not technically or financially feasible, or cannot be carried out for some time, a monitoring solution may be chosen. The aim is to anticipate the failure sufficiently in advance so that preventive measures can be taken: installation of additional reinforcement, evacuation of the unstable zone, closure of a stretch of road, etc.

The design and implementation of a monitoring system requires definition of :

• measured parameters :

  • kinematic: surface (topometry, extensometry) or depth (inclinometry),

  • piezometric (in particular, pore pressure at the level of the fracture surface) and hydraulic data,

  • meteorological (rainfall, snowfall) ;

• the position...