Apr 15, 2020

Cautus Geo installs small segment, vertical SAAV in research test facility

Tyler Morency
4 years ago

Cautus Geo installs small segment, vertical SAAV in research test facility

In November 2019, Cautus Geo AS, a Norwegian monitoring firm and distributor for Measurand, partnered with Luleå University of Technology (LTU) and Vattenfall R&D to install three SAAV model ShapeArrays at the Vattenfall research embankment dam in the town of Älvkarleby, approximately 150 km north of Stockholm. The three SAAVs were between three and four metres long, 3.5 m (upstream), 4.0 m (middle), 3.0 m (downstream), and featured a small 250 mm segment length, half the standard 500 m segment length. The 250 mm SAAV segment length is commonly used in installations that monitor for convergence, like mitigating risk to subsurface infrastructure during tunnel boring. The research at Vattenfall is part of ongoing beta testing of 250 mm segment in vertically-installed applications.

Älvkarleby, known for its large hydroelectric power plant is also known for its research facilities that focus on the use of concrete and soils in hydropower dam technology, among other things. Engineers and researchers from several universities and Vattenfall (Sweden’s state-owned energy production company) have engaged several monitoring companies, including Cautus Geo, for sensor deployment and monitoring at the research dam.

The test dam

The test dam that Cautus Geo monitors is an embankment dam 25 metres long and 15 metres wide, which sits inside a concrete pool four metres deep. The dam itself is constructed in multiple layers, with the finer material towards the core and coarser on the exterior.

SAAV Installation

During construction in late 2019, Cautus Geo installed three vertical SAAV inclinometer systems in the dam and surrounding areas—one upstream, one in the middle of the dam, and one downstream. Cautus Geo has been tasked with deformation monitoring inside and around the dam over time, tracking how the dam and its surroundings respond to various loads. The SAAV with 250 mm segment lengths will provide high accuracy on deformations within and around the dam. The measurements can be followed online and activities on the dam can be detected by the SAAV. Piezometers were also installed in the different layers and at different heights inside the dam to measure water pressure throughout the structure.

Jasmina Toromanovic plans to use the data from the embankment dam as her PhD project with the Luleå University of Technology. Learn more about Jasmina Toromanovic’s research.

Contact Measurand if you want to monitor with SAAV 250.

Find out more about the fast, simple, and direct installation possible with the SAAV ShapeArray.

  • 1993

    The Beginning

    Measurand is established in Fredericton, New Brunswick
  • 1994

    Bend sensor development

    Measurand develops and patents fiber optic bend and position sensors for the medical and automotive sectors

    U.S. Patent 5,321,257

  • 1995

    Canadian Space Agency

    Receives funding from the CSA to develop sensor technology that ultimately leads to invention of ShapeTape

    U.S. Patent 5,633,494

  • 1999

    Patent on fiber optic sensor

    Measurand receives patent for "Fiber Optic Bending and Positioning Sensor" issued June 29, 1999

    Canadian Patent 2,073,162

  • 2001

    ShapeTape & ShapeHand debut

    Measurand designs and develops innovative motion capture technology

    U.S. Patent 6,127,672, 6,563,107

  • 2002

    Measurand Attends the ICPMG

    First contact with the geotechnical sector at the International Conference on Physical Modelling in Geotechnics (ICPMG)
  • 2004

    ShapeArray

    Design patent application sent about a new product designed to meet the specific needs of the geotechnical industry

    U.S. Patent 6,127,672, 6,563,107

  • 2005-08

    ShapeWrap

    Measurand debuts ShapeWrap motion capture technology for the film and animation industry

    U.S. Patent 7,296,363

  • 2006

    Malibu installation

    ShapeAccelArray installed for ground monitoring for the first time​ in Malibu, CA

    Canadian Patent 2,472,421

  • 2007

    ShapeMRI

    Suite of instrumentation developed for motion capture within Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines

    U.S. Patent 7,296,363

  • 2011

    SAAScan launched

    Built for rapid deployment and repeated use

    Canadian Patent 2,472,421

  • 2014

    SAAX launched

    Purpose-built for heavy-duty horizontal installation

    Canadian application 2,815,199 & 2,815,195

  • 2017

    SAAV launched

    The only geotechnical instrument with a patented cyclical installation method

    Cyclical Sensor Array, Canadian application 2,815,199 & 2,911,175