249. Temperature Monitoring in Piping-Prone Hydraulic Structures

Backward piping erosion poses a threat to dikes and dams with a permeable foundation layer. This has been tested in large scale tests in the Netherlands. As part of the testing of alternative monitoring techniques, several temperature-based measurement methods have been tested in an experiment carried out in 2012. Test set-up, monitoring techniques and measurements are described, as well as the resulting practical possibilities with these methods. For the geometrical, stratigraphic and climatic configuration of the test performed, Distributed Temperature Sensors (DTS) demonstrated the capability of detecting the occurrence of piping below a dike with almost equal accuracy as more traditional pore pressure sensors, which are much more costly to install at a sufficient density.