Use of an Ultra-wide Band Radar to Detect Slope Movements Along Transport Infrastructures

A permanent ultra wide band radar was installed thirteen years ago in front of a large landslide at Sechilienne (Isere, France) to observe continuously the movements of the slope or individual blocks at a distance of about one kilometre. The detectable displacements are of the order of one tenth of millimetre. A new portable radar offering the same possibilities was developed to detect eventual movements in slopes that are not yet considered as unstable, in particular rock slopes. A prototype of this new radar was manufactured in 2013 and it will tested on a few sites to check its actual capabilities to make discontinuous measurements on a slope or structure and give reliable estimates of their movements with time. The paper describes the radar and typical applications.