Geophysical monitoring of the integrity of water-retaining earth structures

蓄水土结构（如防洪堤防和水坝）的破坏可能是毁灭性的，在某些情况下会导致生命损失和/或大规模的工程和环境修复。目前的监测方法严重依赖于地面观测，这只能解决已经开始出现的故障，或者依赖于点传感器，这只能对非常小体积的地面进行采样，因此不足以作为检测局部恶化的手段。该项目旨在通过利用地球物理成像方法的潜力，为监测这些岩土工程资产的完整性提供新的方法。这种方法可以对与变质、流体运动、流动路径和地面运动相关的结构变化进行体积跟踪，从而通过在更早的阶段发现问题，帮助防止灾难性故障。虽然在这方面已作出一些利用地球物理的尝试（见参考资料清单中的例子），但需要利用实地地球物理实验和数据处理方面的最新发展，以充分发挥其潜力。在这项研究中，我们的目标是汇集兰开斯特大学和英国地质调查局（BGS）的专业知识，以开发监测保水土结构完整性的新方法。

Failure of water-retaining earth structures (e.g. flood embankments and dams) can be devastating, in some cases leading to loss of life and/or huge engineering and environmental restoration. Current monitoring approaches are heavily dependent on either surface observations, which can only address failures that have already begun, or point sensors, which sample a very small volume of ground and are therefore inadequate as a means of detecting localized deterioration. This project aims to provide new approaches for monitoring the integrity of such geotechnical assets, by exploiting the potential of geophysical imaging approaches. Such approaches may enable volumetric tracking of structural changes associated with deterioration, motion of fluids, flow pathways and ground movement, thereby helping to prevent catastrophic failure by identifying problems at a much earlier stage. Although some attempts to use geophysics for this application have been made (see examples in reference list), recent developments in field-based geophysical experimentation and data processing need to be exploited in order to realise the full potential. In this studentship we aim to bring together expertise at Lancaster and the British Geological Survey (BGS) in order to develop new approaches for monitoring the integrity of water-retaining earth structures.