Certain types of civil engineering works can produce ground vibrations that may cause damage to nearby structures. In such situations, use of a ground vibration monitor will allow the normal background vibration to be measured and also show and record potentially damaging vibration levels arising from activities carried out on site.
Ground vibration monitors used in the civil engineering sector are sometimes referred to as seismometers, but seismometers are used to detect and measure the intensity and duration of earthquakes.
Seismographs were sometimes also known as vibrographs, although that name is less well used these days. Formerly, seismographs had an inbuilt printer that produced a graph of vibration levels against time, hence they were called vibrographs. A vibrograph or vibrograph was also an instrument used by horologists for checking accuracy of watches and other timepieces.
Modern seismographs for use in civil engineering have, as one would expect, evolved through several generations since their first incarnation in the 1960s when they were mechanical devices and often complex to use. Developments in electronics, computer technology and communications have led to the production of state of the art seismographs that are far removed from their primitive beginnings.
Accudata supplies a range of seismographs for use when monitoring ground-borne vibration from civil engineering work such as piling, breaking and compaction and also for use during quarry blasting and explosive demolition.
