Soil and rock monitoring programs that use inclinometer probes often run for several years. Normal wear and tear can degrade the probe’s ability to produce useful surveys, though this degradation can happen incrementally and may go unnoticed for some time. A new standard developed by ASTM International Committee D18 on Soil and Rock, D 7299, Practice for Verifying Performance of a Vertical Inclinometer Probe, gives users the means to verify whether inclinometer probes are performing as they should. Practice D 7299 is under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee D18.23 on Field Instrumentation.
 
“D 7299 provides a guideline for users who have quality programs associated with their instrumentation projects,” says Richard Monroe, D18 member and manager for sales to Europe, Durham Geo Slope Indicator. “Using the standard will help answer questions about how often machinery should be recalibrated, whether the user can do this recalibration themselves and what values to look for when doing the recalibration.”
 
Monroe says the standard suggests two possible tests for verifying performance. While the first test is rather complex, the second requires only simple apparatus and can be used to obtain a generally accurate response in the field.
 
Interested parties are welcome to join in the standards developing activities of Subcommittee D18.23. Monroe notes that there are many possibilities for standards within the realm of field instrumentation, including monitoring pore-water pressure.
 
ASTM International standards are available from Customer Service (phone: 610/832-9585; https://www.astm.org/contact/) or at www.astm.org.

For technical information, contact Richard Monroe, Durham Geo Slope Indicator, Mukilteo, Wash.  (phone: 425/493-6200; rmonroe@slope.com). Committee D18 meets June 24-27, 2007, at the June Committee Week in Norfolk, Va. For membership or meeting information, contact Robert Morgan, manager, Technical Committee Operations, ASTM International (phone: 610/832-9732; rmorgan@astm.org).

Release #7595