Safety Monitoring of the Yellow River Dike Using an Optic Fiber Sensor System

Abstract

The Yellow River is known for having a river bed that is higher than its neighboring land. River dikes have been an imperative part of the protection for those who live along the river. Manual inspection from the shoreline has been the normal procedure to check the integrity of the river dike below the water. This procedure is time consuming and dangerous, thus making an automated system highly desirable. The authors have developed an optic fiber ground movement monitoring system using the optic Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG). The FBG sensored probe can be inserted in an inclinometer casing to monitor ground movement. Because of its unique capabilities, the FBG is well suited for automated monitoring that needs to cover a long distance such as the case of Yellow River. This paper describes die principles of the FBG monitoring probe system, presents results of a field experiment and discusses the implications in the safety monitoring of Yellow River dikes.