Scour & Settlement Monitoring

What is Scour and Settlement Monitoring?

Scour and Settlement

Scour and settlement monitoring is a vital tool for assessing the stability of bridges, embankments, and foundations. Scour or soil erosion around structural elements caused by fast-moving water and settlement can compromise structural integrity. Monitoring these risks helps engineers:

  • Detect early signs of structural instability
  • Prevent catastrophic failures
  • Optimize maintenance schedules
  • Ensure long-term safety and performance

BDI couples it’s NDE practice techniques to create a robust with geotechnical sensors, sonar, LiDAR, and remote data systems to deliver real-time insights into how environmental forces affect foundation health and scour risk.

What We Measure

Many instruments are designed to solve highly specific problems, resulting in a wide variety of sensors and systems available for scour and settlement monitoring. BDI will work with you to customize our long-term monitoring system and develop a specialized approach to using a combined sensor/system approach and integrating multiple technologies to offer valuable insight into both the causes and effects of these complex structural events. Three common types of scour and settlement monitoring system types include:

  • Scour & Settlement Monitoring

Scour Detection (Alerting System)

Settlement Detection (Alerting System)

Bridge Monitoring

BDI deploys scour detection systems to provide real-time monitoring of sediment erosion around bridge foundations using advanced sonar and sensor technologies. Designed for durability and precision, these long-term systems help assure that key personnel will be alerted in the event scour occurs. BDI is familiar with many technologies for identifying the occurrence of scour – reach out to learn more.

BDI’s Automated Total Station (ATS)-based settlement monitoring systems use high precision targeting to track structural movement and ground displacement over time. Integrated with our cloud-based platform, these systems provide continuous, real-time data that supports proactive decisions and long-term infrastructure management, ideal for bridges, embankments, and other critical structures.

In addition to scour and settlement detection, capturing how these conditions affect a structure provides critical insight when addressing high-risk structural issues. By combining scour/settlement detection with various sensor types, such as strain, rotation, and deflection and visual tools like real-time imaging of areas of concern, engineers gain a comprehensive understanding of both the causes and consequences of foundation degradation. Cameras can be used to provide verification and real-time decision making at scour critical structures.

What We Deliver

Innovative Solutions

We’ve deployed monitoring systems across a wide range of structure types to investigate a variety of structural conditions. See below to explore some of examples of projects we’ve completed, or contact us now to design a monitoring solution tailored to your needs.

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Multi-Technology Approach to Bridge Deck NDE

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High-Resolution Imaging – Automated Feature Classification

Leveraging high-resolution, high-speed cameras mounted on drones and vehicles combined with AI-enabled photogrammetry platforms, BDI can generate 2D orthophoto and 3D renderings of concrete structures to provide context for other services as well as to measure and map defects such as spalls, cracks, exposed reinforcement, and patching with automation.

Post-Tensioned Duct Void NDE

BDI has developed a high-resolution approach to evaluating the condition of post-tensioned ducts based on the detection of voids in the grout using a combination of ultrasonic tomography and impact-echo, having performed these services at scale on over 100,000 linear feet of concrete girders.

Climbing Robot Inspections

BDI can perform remote, unmanned NDE inspections using a climbing robot for difficult to access areas. Where a boom lift or under-bridge platform is needed but challenging to use, BDI can deploy the latest state-of-the art climbing robot to perform NDE inspections.

Anchor Rod Testing

Using a combination of industry standard ultrasonic methods and ADM, BDI has developed a robust set of procedures of evaluating the condition, configuration, and tension on dam anchor rods.

Structural and Subsurface Spillway Inspection Services

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