From Laboratory to Territory: Comparative Analysis of Displacement Monitoring Technologies for Landslides Using a Laminar Shear Box
From Laboratory to Territory: Comparative Analysis of Displacement Monitoring Technologies for Landslides Using a Laminar Shear Box
Monitoring ground displacement in unstable soil masses is a key component of Medellíns landslide monitoring program managed by the Disaster Risk Management Agency (DAGRD). Ensuring reliable and operationally effective monitoring requires assessing the performance and limitations of displacement measurement technologies under controlled conditions prior to field deployment.
This paper presents the design and construction of a 3 m-high large-scale laminar shear box developed to provide a controlled physical modelling environment for testing subsurface displacement monitoring devices. The system enables the imposition of prescribed displacement profiles using hydraulic actuators acting against a reaction wall, allowing the simulation of deformation patterns representative of slope instabilities.
Four displacement monitoring technologies were experimentally evaluated: (i) a conventional inclinometer, (ii) a commercial remote-monitoring inclinometer, (iii) an in-house developed remote-monitoring inclinometer, and (iv) Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) devices. The comparison focused on displacement profile consistency, deformation range, spatial resolution, acquisition frequency, telemetry capability, and data interpretation.
Results show that all inclinometer-based systems capture similar displacement trends at low to moderate deformation levels, while differences become more pronounced under large semi-cyclic loading. The in-house system better preserves curvature changes with depth, improving the identification of localized deformation zones. TDR performance was limited under distributed deformation. Overall, the study shows how large-scale physical modelling can support the selection and validation of displacement monitoring technologies for landslide early warning systems.
Daniel Felipe Ruiz Restrepo; A. Exneyder Montoya-Araque; Joan Beltran-Guerrero; I. Maria Salinas-Agudelo; A. Cristian Cortez-Reinoso; Alejandro Marulanda-Tobon; Edward Alexander Guerra Valencia; D. Juan Moreno-Aristizabal
11th International Conference on Physical Modelling in Geotechnics (ICPMG2026)
Special Session 1: Physical modelling – from Practice/Industry to Academia
https://doi.org/10.53243/ICPMG2026-431