Excavation, demolition and blasting are not just three of the most common activities in new construction.
Sometimes, they’re also contributing factors to structural movements in nearby residential and commercial properties.
Since new construction projects have the potential to damage neighboring properties, what steps can firms take to reduce the chances of these inclinations?
In the following article, we’ll explain how tiltmeters help construction teams protect their neighbors from construction-caused inclinations and highlight some of the additional benefits that these devices bring to the construction site.
What Is A Tiltmeter?
Before we highlight the advantages of tiltmeters, we need to explain what exactly a tiltmeter is and what it does.
A tiltmeter is essentially a wireless sensor that measures inclinations in ground levels and structures.
Geologists use these devices to measure and monitor volcanoes and landslides.
However, construction firms use these sensors to monitor the surrounding buildings and other structures during their projects.
Once they are installed on the nearby structures and properties, these sophisticated sensors continuously monitor any rotations and inclinations. All of the information these tiltmeters record is then read by an automated datalogger to measure, document, analyze and validate any significant events that impact structural integrity, personal safety and operations.
How Do Tiltmeters Benefit Construction Projects?
As you can see, a tiltmeter’s ability to record any tilting, slanting, and/or leaning of buildings in the construction zone is its major benefit.
However, the use of wireless tiltmeters is especially beneficial for construction projects that are located near historic districts or landmark buildings. While these properties are structurally sound, they may have characteristics (like unlevel walls) that make them more susceptible to the vibrations caused by construction.
By installing tiltmeters in these historic properties and areas, construction firms are able to continuously monitor them for any potential tilting, leaning or slanting caused by their operations.
Additionally, tiltmeters also help ensure that the firm’s new construction or renovation project is proceeding without incident. Not only can vibrations and construction activities impact the surrounding structures, they can also affect the structure that is being built or renovated.
If construction activities cause vibrations that are significant enough to generate movement in the newly erected building’s foundation, the results could be catastrophic.
In this way, tiltmeters act as an early warning system for movement in neighboring buildings and as a safeguard that assures quality control of the onsite construction.
When you take all of these benefits into consideration, it’s plain to see that using tiltmeters to monitor the construction site and the properties throughout the zone helps reduce the risk of injury, critical structural issues and incidents and delays in progress.
This in turn means that tiltmeters help reduce expenses and legal fees associated with project disruptions, repairs, injuries and structural damage.
Saltus Specializes In Wireless Tiltmeter Monitoring
Tiltmeters help firms reduce the risk of incidents of vertical and horizontal movement of neighboring structures caused by construction.
If your construction project can benefit from this innovative piece of equipment, then you should contact the construction monitoring experts at Saltus.
In addition to providing Vibration Monitoring and Optical Structural Surveying services to the construction industry, we also offer Wireless Tiltmeter Monitoring services, too!
Our trained and certified technicians arrive on site to install state-of-the-art wireless MEMS tiltmeters to monitor and measure any possible structural inclinations of all buildings, landmark properties, bridges, tunnels and other properties located in the construction zone.
Once the information is captured by the tiltmeters, an automated datalogger reviews it to identify and alert the teams of any potential emergencies on the worksite or the nearby structures.
Relying on wireless tiltmeter monitoring services not only safeguards your onsite crew, it also protects your business from any potential liability.
To learn more about our wireless tiltmeter monitoring service, contact our expert team today!