Pore water pressure sensor for landslide prediction

The paper presents a cost effective pore water pressure sensor (PWP) for landslide prediction, based on an integrated silicon pressure sensor. The sensor can be associated with a landslide sensor or can work independently. The aim of the landslide sensor is to detect the wetting condition and the tiny displacements of the ground. The pore water pressure has a simple construction, by measuring the pressure of the air in a small enclosure, air that is compressed by the water table. The pressure is measured with a silicon pressure sensor and it is converted in mm water column. Depending on the underground structure, many such sensors are necessary at different levels. The information is collected at the ground level via a serial point to multipoint network. The sensor has a low cost, fine accuracy, low power consumption and is easy to install.