Dam repair monitored by robotic total station
The project raised the dam height by 60 centimeters, reinforcing existing abutments and adding two piano key spillways.
At the Razisse dam in southwest France, a Spectra Precision Focus 35 robotic total station was used to monitor structural movements during major repairs.
The Focus 35 total station on the job.
The Focus 35 monitored to a half-millimeter accuracy movement of the arch dam abutments during a critical six-week period in the project. Raising the height of the dam was expected to cause the abutments to settle, so the Focus 35 was positioned to measure XY movement to ensure they were settling properly and within expectations.
Measurements were taken at each step, with results communicated in real time to the contractor through an Excel file. The results enabled engineers to make critical decisions on whether to move further into the project. The final movement was less than a tenth of a millimeter, well within the acceptable value.
About the Author: Tracy Cozzens
Senior Editor Tracy Cozzens joined GPS World magazine in 2006. She also is editor of GPS World’s newsletters and the sister website Geospatial Solutions. She has worked in government, for non-profits, and in corporate communications, editing a variety of publications for audiences ranging from federal government contractors to teachers.
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Was the final movement of a tenth of a mm measured with another piece of equipment then?!.. bearing in mind that the total station this article is all about measures to half mm accuracy.
Was the final movement of a tenth of a mm measured with another piece of equipment then?!.. bearing in mind that the total station this article is all about measures to half mm accuracy.