Dam Monitoring—ESG‘s Paladin™ based monitoring systems can be deployed to monitor dam structures and water reservoirs. During the initial filling of dam reservoirs, changes in pressures and loads can cause considerable stress redistributions within the surrounding rockmass. Seismic events that occur around the reservoir basin or at the dam/rock interface can be recorded, located and visualized on a 3D map of the area, providing a continuous evaluation of structural integrity.

Other dam monitoring applications include:

• Abutment monitoring—Abutments are traditionally the weaker points of the dam structure. Systems can monitor these areas for abnormal seismicity, and ensure that the proper conditions are maintained to avoid weakening or collapse.

• Design threshold monitoring—In the event of an earthquake or other large scale seismic event, a microseismic monitoring program can indicate if vibration levels (including PPA and PPV) have exceeded the design thresholds of the dam. Additional cracking that might indicate internal and structural problems can be recorded and located by the system.

• Optimize water reservoir levels—Seasonal water level uplift and decreases can have adverse effects on the elasticity of the rockmass in large reservoirs. Exceeding elastic limitations can result in micro-fractures within the rockmass, which could lead to disastrous occurrences. Dams can use detected seismicity to regulate their water levels and determine an optimal range of upper and lower limits.

Tunnel and Slope Stability—The Paladin™ monitoring system is well suited to detect fracturing associated with any type of rock structure. The system records and locates the micro-fractures that occur during stress and strain conditions. This data can then be used along with other geotechnical data (models, rock properties, etc) to help evaluate the stability of the structure. Coupled with our instrumentation monitoring, we can offer a complete package of automated geotechnical data collection.

High-speed Railway Bridges—ESG has successfully deployed monitoring instrumentation on high-speed rail bridges to ensure design vibration limitations are not exceeded.
There have also been numerous incidents in North America, where railway bridges have been struck by large barges moving through the rivers. ESG’s monitoring systems can be used to identify the damage impact from these collisions and assess whether the structural design thresholds have been crossed.

Microseismic Railway Monitoring System—In conjunction with its partner Alstom Signaling, ESG has developed an innovative solution for monitoring railway tracks and detecting dangerous hazards such as rock slides, collisions with elevated structures, derailments and other conditions. The microseismic railway monitoring system can be set to ignore non-threatening smaller rock falls, while automatically notifying railway operators of major events that could pose significant risk. Benefits include:

• Ease of installation (no change required to existing Signal System)
• No maintenance required
• Reduces train delays and false alarms through filtering out small events
• Lifetime cost reductions