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Interpretation of Inclinometer Data <br />Slope stability is of particular interest to geotechnical engineers. <br />Inclinometers are one tool selected by geotechnical professionals to <br />measure the magnitude, rate, and direction of slope movement as well as <br />depth of shear plane or zone. Inclinometers may be used to characterize <br />landslides or to monitor excavations, shoring walls, dams, waste piles, or <br />other structures prone to movement. What follows is a brief explanation <br />of inclinometers, what they are, and how the data are interpreted. <br />Inclinometer Equipment and Installation <br />Inclinometers are small-diameter (typically 2- to 3.5-inch) thick-walled <br />casings that are installed into slightly-oversized boreholes and typically <br />grouted into place. They are installed below depths of suspected <br />movement on slopes, preferably into bedrock where possible, as shown in <br />Figure 1. Inclinometers deform with ground movement, which can then <br />be measured on the inside of the inclinometer casings. <br />Figure 1. <br />Inchnometers are typically -? <br />installed vertically through the <br />ground to a point beyond the <br />depth of suspected movement, <br />into "solid ground", bedrock <br />where possible (image after <br />Cornforth, 2000: Landslides m <br />Prac7ice). <br />The inclinometer casing has two pairs of diametrically-opposed precision <br />grooves cut into the inside diameter (shown below in Figure 2). One pair <br />is typically aligned parallel to the direction of anticipated slope movement <br />(the "A" axis), while the second pair is aligned perpendicular to the <br />direction of slope movement (the "B" axis). <br />GEOTECH Page 1 of 5 <br />Inclinometers