Wireless movement sensor network for real-time monitoring of slope instability

Every year, landslide causes an average loss of about 200 lives and 500crores in the high altitude regions like Himalayas and Western Ghats in India. Deployment of early warning systems for landslides could lead to reduction in the landslide risk. Inclinometers are one of the major sensors used for detecting the subsurface movements, contributing to higher cost and complexity for large scale monitoring of landslides. This necessitates the development of an affordable system for continuous monitoring of subsurface movements. In the research work, we propose an architecture for a multilevel movement sensor system to determine the strain initiation point and its propagation due to the internal micro movements beneath the earth. This research aims to identify the most appropriate strain gauge measurement model. Modeling and simulation of the different parameters and configurations of strain measurements, displacement, voltage ratio, and resistance change are performed using Ansys Workbench. Relationship among these parameters and configurations are derived based on the detailed simulations performed and the results are discussed in this paper. These relationships are used to design and develop the cost effective multilevel strain gauge set up for capturing real-time sub surface movements leading to landslide.