Integrated Slope Monitoring System for Slope Stability Over Old Underground Galleries During Surface Mining Operations Using Internet of Things

Surface mining methods have been adopted to extract the coal which is in the form of pillars and roof in old underground coal workings. There are slope failures associated with the extraction method. Conventional slope monitoring systems are available but require physical presence of the person at the site and the readout units which are physically connected to the base units and generally such monitoring is done only during day light. Radar-based systems are being used to monitor the broad area through rain, dust, smoke and operate during both day and night. They provide accurate results, but they are high-cost and require a skilled person for operating in the field. Hence, an investigation taken up to assess the stability of the slope stability over old underground coal workings by using wireless sensor networks (WSNs) and internet of things (IoT). In this paper, monitoring of slope stability using a low cost wireless sensor networks is discussed. An integrated wireless data acquisition system is developed to assess the slope stability and it is validated with conventional instrument and numerical modeling approach. The variation in between integrated slope monitoring system (ISMS) to data logger and numerical modeling is around 3.03%–19%. Statistical analysis results revealed that there is a good correlation between field observations and modeling studies.