Inclinodeformeter: A novel device for measuring earth pressure

Lateral earth pressures are a key factor for many practical problems in geotechnical engineering. Measuring these earth pressures, however, remains one of the most challenging problems in geotechnical monitoring.

The inclinodeformeter (IDM) is a novel device for measuring changes in lateral earth pressure. The device makes use of the existing and widely used technology of inclinometer measurements. A change in earth pressures leads to changes in the shape and dimensions of the inclinometer pipe. If these changes are carefully measured, the pressure increment can be back-calculated from the solution of the corresponding boundary value problem.