Environmental Instruments – Useful for Several Applications

There are several industrial applications where our environment plays an important role. In order to overcome various environmental issues, we use different types of environmental instruments. For example, there are geotechnical and structural sensors for monitoring strain, tilt, displacement, and pressure. Heave/settlement points are used to monitor settlement in the ground beneath surcharges or embankments. They are also used to monitor heave (uplift) resulting from excavation or grouting. The Borros-type anchor is suitable for soft clays. It is pretty much difficult to extend the prongs of the anchor in other types of soil, such as stiff, over-consolidated clays, shales, dense sand, or sand and gravel.Inclinometer is one such type of environmental instruments that has been used to monitor angular tilt. Inclinometers are used for sensing movements, whether in concrete structures, attached to a dam, buried down a tunnel or even for monitoring the volcanoes. It is capable of monitoring very accurate results even at most irregular surfaces. There are different types of inclinometers available in the market including accelerometer, electrolytic, mercury, gas bubble liquid and pendulum. The electrolytic tilt sensors are able to produce a very accurate measurement and produce an electric signal to show exactly how much a structure is leaning in reference to gravity. This kind of tilt sensor is normally used in automotive industry, electronics, gyroscopes, and satellites.A gas bubble liquid sensor is comprised of a glass tube filled with liquid. The tube comprises of the liquid and the bubble is generally bent. The position of the bubble indicates the angle. This type of inclinometer is also known as a tilt meter, clinometer or a slope indicator. Operational for over 45 years, Gage Technique International Ltd has been at the cutting edge of Environmental Instruments for both Structural Instrumentation and civil engineering disciplines.