This thesis describes research efforts toward the development of a wireless sensor
node, which can be employed in durable and expandable wireless sensor networks for
remote monitoring of soil conditions in areas conducive to slope stability failures.
Commercially available soil moisture probes and soil tilt sensors were combined with
low-power, wireless data transmitters to form a self-configuring network of soil
monitoring sensors.
The remote locations of many slope stability hazard sites eliminates the possibility of
real-time, remote monitoring instrumentation that relies on AC power or land-based
communication methods for operation and data transfer. Therefore, various power
supply solutions and data transfer methods were explored during this research and are
described herein. Additionally, sensor modification and calibrations are discussed.
Preliminary evaluations of field durability of the pilot instrumentation were
undertaken during this research. Geotechnical engineering instrumentation must be able
to withstand extreme weather related conditions. The wireless, solar-powered soil
moisture and tilt sensor node was installed on the Texas A&M University campus,
allowing evaluation of system reliability and instrument durability. Lastly, potential
future research and conclusions arising from this research are presented.
This research has shown that commercially available wireless instrumentation can be
modified for use in geotechnical applications. The development of an active power
management system allows for sensors to be placed in remote locations and operated
indefinitely, thus creating another option for monitoring applications in geotechnical and
environmental problems.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/5889 |
| Date | 17 September 2007 |
| Creators | Garich, Evan Andrew |
| Contributors | Blackburn, J. Tanner |
| Publisher | Texas A&M University |
| Source Sets | Texas A and M University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Book, Thesis, Electronic Thesis, text |
| Format | 1398004 bytes, electronic, application/pdf, born digital |
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