Application
The VW crackmeter is used to monitor movement at joints and cracks in concrete structures or rock. Typical applications include:
- Monitoring joints for unexpected movement to provide early warning of performance problems
- Monitoring joints and cracks in structures that may be affected by nearby excavation and construction activities.
- Monitoring cracks in structures that have experienced seismic activity.
Operation
The VW crackmeter consists of a VW displacement transducer and a mounting kit. Anchors are installed on opposite sides of the crack and the transducer is mounted across the anchors. A change in the distance across the crack causes a change in the frequency signal produced by the VW displacement transducer when excited by the readout or data logger.
The readout device processes the signal, applies calibration factors, and displays a reading in millimeters or inches. The initial reading is used as a datum. Subsequent readings are compared to the datum to calculate the magnitude, rate, and acceleration of movement across the crack.
Advantages
High Accuracy: The VW crackmeter provides a repeatability of 0.3 mm.
Two Ranges: The VW crackmeter is available in 60 and 100 mm ranges (2.4 and 4 inch).
Temperature Measurement: The VW crackmeter is equipped with a temperature sensor.
Manual or Automatic Readings: The crackmeter connects easily to a data logger for unattended monitoring.
