Dr Wout Broere is professor of Underground Space Technology at Delft University of Technology and a Fellow of the International Society of Trenchless Technologies ISTT. His research interests range from trenchless technologies, large diameter tunnelling, site investigation and foundation engineering, to the use of underground space. He has published extensively on these topics and supervised over 300 BSc, MSc and PhD students.

 

Dr Broere is currently Editor-in-Chief for Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology, a member of ISSMGE TC204 on Underground Construction in Soft ground and past-Animateur of ITA WG20 on `Urban Problems – Underground Solutions’. Together with the Dutch Center for Underground Construction COB he manages the research programme Futureproof Tunnels, aimed at tackling the challenges in monitoring, maintaining and refurbishing aging underground infrastructure.

Smart monitoring of tunnels

 

Monitoring of tunnels has evolved beyond simple displacement monitoring at a limited number of locations in the tunnel and at surface. A multitude of sensor types is available nowadays, making it possible to monitor displacements and deformations, as well as material degradation related processes, continuously. Automated, online, data collection makes monitoring not only more available, but also allows for monitoring of tunnel locations where in-person access difficult or impossible. This offers opportunities for tunnel structural health assessments and an improve our understanding of the current structural state of aging tunnel prior to major refurbishment. This lecture will go into past and current developments in tunnel monitoring, and discuss the need to define clearly the purpose of the monitoring solutions before sensor installation.