A novel application of chemiluminescence, a chemical reaction which generates light, is being developed in view of its potential use for landslide monitoring. The light emission from the device is detected using an array of inexpensive photodetectors and the signal transmitted via a wireless node to a base station. Since the light is emitted on detection of soil movement by virtue of chemiluminescence, no light source is required for the sensing system to work. In this study, the sensing system was tested and found to be capable of detecting small soil movement of approximately 4 cm. Work is still being carried out to improve the detection sensitivity. A physical embodiment of the sensing device has been fabricated and tested in a simulated soil movement set-up and results show that the sensor is capable of detecting soil movement typical of that experience in landslide. The sensing device is inexpensive with a wireless transmission range of 300m and can be easily installed on site by non-specialists. Wireless data can be acquired immediately upon deployment and does not require signal processing of a large amount of data, as a result of a simple damage detection approach. Being self- sustaining, the sensor system could be powered using energy harvesting technique such as solar panels and is capable of operating with little or no servicing requirements. The sensor is expected to be useful in applications in many geotechnical projects such as underground construction, detection of liquefaction in hot spots, ground settlement and others. It is also useful to detecting soil movement in areas prone to landslides particularly in the rural residential areas where the availability of a low-cost and easy to implement sensor device would be highly desirable.
doi: 10.12783/SHM2015/116