Why monitor during construction
Placing fill raises the load on the ground below layer by layer. On soft or wet ground the soil needs time to carry the extra load. If fill goes up too fast, settlement or movement can start. Around culverts and buried structures, uneven backfill can load one side more than the other.
What to measure
- Earth pressure at the base of the fill and against structures, using bridge-type pressure cells.
- Temperature where frost or winter construction is a concern.
- Moisture or other site sensors on RS-485.
How MT-16 is set up
Pressure cells are placed at the base before fill begins and connected to an MT-16 at the edge of the site. The logger records through the whole build and sends the numbers to the site engineer every day, even when nobody is on site.
What you get
- Fill placed at a pace the ground can handle.
- A daily record to share with the owner and the designer.
- A documented history of the structure from the first lift.
Using vibrating-wire piezometers or pressure cells? They can be connected through an RS-485 interface module.