Wireless acoustic emission sensor for monitoring and prediction in early warning systems for rapid mass movements

Acoustic emissions are high-frequency, short-lived, elastic waves generated by the rapid release of stored elastic energy. During deformation of soils and other granular materials, acoustic emissions are generated by various physical processes such as grain-contact frictional sliding, granular rolling, root rupture, and water movement through pores. Our objective is to measure and quantify the energy released by these processes by acquiring and analyzing the signals collected by acoustic sensors. We are developing low-cost wireless acoustic sensors that operate at ultrasonic frequencies (> 20 kHz) and can extract information from the signal to better understand deformation processes in soils.