Applicability and Effectiveness of Sheet-Type Sensors in Locating the Slip Failure During Seepage Through Embankments

Recently, rainfall-induced river levees damages have been increasing remarkably. As the frequency of heavy rainfall events is expected to increase due to climate change, it is crucial to develop proper countermeasures to prevent damage to river levees and embankments. Among various modes of river damage, slip failures due to seepage through embankment fill is omnipresent and are primarily associated with the changes in saturation distribution through the comprising soil profile. Efficiently proposing countermeasures for such a problem requires monitoring and considering the changes in water content and shear strain within the embankment, where generally, the rise in river water level is associated with an increase in the seepage forces. Through this study, a sheet-type sensor to continuously measure the changes in water content, strain, and temperature, both horizontally and vertically, was developed and utilized to understand the mechanism and enhance the resiliency of levees. Furthermore, the sensor measurements are utilized to elaborate on the pre-failure indicators through a model experiment.