Geotechnical instrumentation in the port of Alicante, Spain

Abstract

Construction of new structures and structural elements in harbour works often requires the adoption of monitoring systems which can contrast and highlight the differences between theoretical and real soil geotechnical responses, during both the works and the service stage. These systems enable engineers to keep abreast of unforeseen soil responses, and provide a tool to manage unexpected situations. The site geotechnical conditions in the enlargement of the Port of Alicante necessitated the adoption of a geotechnical monitoring system. In view of this, the Alicante Port Authority included the installation of a geotechnical instrumentation system as part of the technical assistance to management. The aim of this article is to explain the main questions that concerned the definition of the control variables, the type of instrumentation, the data-collection-and-transmission system, and the processing and interpretation of the results obtained.