Geotechnical News • December 2015
29
GEOTECHNICAL INSTRUMENTATION NEWS
don’t emphasize that there is potential
for systematic errors in inclinometer
results. Diagnostic plots and correc-
tion routines are built into DigiPro
2 – Advanced (
com
) and GTilt (
.
com
) software, but not others as far
as I know, but users can get guidance
from Slope Indicator’s website
www.
slopeindicator.com/index.php.
Erik Mikkelsen wrote a paper for the
2003 Symposium on Field Measure-
ments in Geomechanics, (FMGM)
in Oslo, Norway, titled “
Advances in
inclinometer data analysis
”, in which
he described the major errors and
provided guidance in error correction.
Together with Elmo DiBiagio, Erik
wrote a second paper for the 2015
FMGM in Sydney, Australia, titled
“
Depth position errors in inclinom-
eter surveys and false displacement
results
”, elaborating on part of the
2003 paper.
Because FMGM papers are not as
readily accessible as articles in GIN,
Erik had agreed to write three articles
for GIN:
1. Calibration errors: Bias and sensi-
tivity shifts
2. Rotation errors due to probe azi-
muth shifts and casing cross-axis
inclination
3. Depth positioning errors and influ-
ence of casing curvatures
The plan is to publish these articles in
the next three episodes of GIN.
Procedings of the ninth FMGM
The proceedings of the ninth Interna-
tional Symposium on Field Measure-
ments in Geomechanics (FMGM),
held in Sudney, Australia on Sep-
tember 9-11, 2015 are now available.
The bound proceedings (829 pages)
contain 65 papers, divided into the fol-
lowing subject areas:
• Case studies
• Civil tunneling
• Water flow and monitoring
• Underground mining
• Transport corridors
• Coal mining and associated excava-
tions
• Carbon sequestration
• Slope stability
The proceedings include a stage-set-
ting presentation by Philip Pells, titled
‘‘Monitoring - the good, the bad and
the ugly’’.
The proceedings can be ordered at
- scroll to
‘‘FMGM 2015’’. The cost is Austra-
lian $220, US$170, including courier
delivery.
Mea culpa
In the previous GIN I wrote, “The
rugby world cup will be played here
in England during September and
October. Yes, USA will be competing,
but not Canada”. I was wrong! Soon
after we went to press I realized that
Canada
was
playing, and expected a
blast of complaints from readers. But
only one! This seems to mean that:
• Only one Canadian reads my stuff,
or
• Canadian readers don’t care about
rugby, or
• Canadians are uncomplaining and
forgiving.
Now to the single blast:
“I strongly resent your assertion
that Canada is not good enough
to go to the Rugby World
Cup however, the USA is
good enough. Maybe I should
not believe your opinions on
instrumentation either! A humble
retraction in the next Geotechnical
News is warranted.”
Wow! We made peace, and I learned
that it was ‘tongue in cheek’!
A tale to tell
Did you read Charles Dickens’ classic
novel
Great Expectations
? Or see
the original 1946 movie or the 2012
re-make? A primary character is Abel
Magwitch, an escaped convict. I
recently spent some ouchy days in a
hospital with a fractured hip, and on
the second day 1946 Magwitch (same
frightening face and same heavy
physique) was wheeled to the adjacent
bed space. Handcuffed to the bed, with
two policemen, one of whom was also
handcuffed to the bed, presumably
to prevent rescue by his buddies by
taking patient and bed! He’d broken a
knee and arm while playing soccer in
the nearby high-security prison in the
Dartmoor National Park (I live in the
Park). He and his guards were very
noisy, even after the lights went out,
and I was relieved to be moved to a
different room the next day. But the
following day he reappeared alongside
me, again with the noise! And can you
believe this? – the two moves were
repeated two days later! Not what I
needed, but the UK National Health
Service was superb.
Closure
Please send an abstract of an article
for GIN to
co.uk
—see the guidelines on www.
geotechnicalnews.com/instrumenta-
tion_news.php
Stin ijiasas (Greece). Make a toast to
their future – they need you to do that.
Finlay Currie as Abel Magwitch in
Great Expectations
, 1946.
