Vibrating Wire Piezometer VWPs

Vibrating Wire Piezometer

Monitel’s Vibrating Wire Piezometer Supply, Installation and Monitoring Service

Monitel is a premier provider of geotechnical instrumentation services, specialising in delivering accurate and reliable vibrating wire piezometer data. Leveraging our extensive expertise and cutting-edge technology, we ensure that our clients receive precise vibrating wire piezometer data to thoroughly understand the geotechnical characteristics of their projects. Our services encompass a wide array of applications, from environmental management and dam construction to mining operations, all aimed at maintaining the highest standards of safety and performance. By utilising advanced monitoring techniques, we help our clients achieve optimal outcomes in their geotechnical assessments.

What is a Vibrating Wire Piezometer?

Vibrating Wire Piezometers VPW’s measure water pressure and are well known for their reliable long-term performance and suitability for demanding environments which usually exist in civil engineering projects. Vibrating wire piezometers allow real-time data monitoring, which is an advantage over methods that require manual data retrieval, allowing quick response to potential issues, as well as trending data over time. Vibrating wire piezometers operate by having a wire fixed high tensile steel wire at one end and attached to a diaphragm that deflects with pressure changes. This deflection alters the tension in the wire, changing its resonant frequency. The frequency is then converted to an electrical signal that can be read by data loggers, providing accurate measurements of pore water pressure. The frequency signal from a vibrating wire piezometer is exceptionally immune from cable effects, including length (upto several kilometers), splicing and moisture.  As a result, the vibrating wire piezometer provides excellent reliability in typical geotechnical situations – i.e. long outdoor cables buried in saturated soil.

Vibrating Wire Applications

• Monitoring pore-water pressures to evaluate slope stability
• Monitoring pore pressures to check the performance of earth fill dams
• Monitoring containment systems at landfills and tailings dams
• Monitoring water levels in stilling basins, monitoring wells and standpipes
• Monitoring dewatering systems and wick drains also known as prefabricated vertical drains at construction sites
• Monitoring performance and investigating the stability of earth fill dams and embankments.
• Monitoring pressures behind retaining walls and diaphragm walls.
• Monitoring pore pressures during fill or excavation.
• Monitoring pore pressure in land reclamation applications.