Quay Wall Monitoring in Amsterdam

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Quay Wall Monitoring in Amsterdam

At Recht Boomssloot in Amsterdam, the team measured how a masonry quay wall responds to vibration from across the canal. Q1 Laser RADAR recorded the wall’s motion alongside reference accelerometers.

Both measurement systems picked up the same main sideways mode.

Why quay walls are difficult to monitor

These walls sit at the intersection of masonry, timber foundations, soil and water. Their movement is subtle, and their length makes it hard to separate local response from the movement of the whole structure.

1,700+ km of quay walls

Across the Netherlands, construction, loading and foundation conditions vary from one wall to the next.

128 parallel measurement channels

Q1 observed a 12 m line beneath the capstone from the opposite side of the canal.

Ambient and hammer tests

Laser RADAR and accelerometers recorded the wall’s response side by side.

The field test

The team worked on a masonry wall at Recht Boomssloot. They ran ambient and hammer tests with two accelerometer layouts while Q1 watched from the opposite bank. Q1 acquired phasor data at 40 kHz, which was converted to velocity time series for modal analysis.

What stand-off laser vibrometry offers

Contact sensors remain useful, but mounting and cabling them across masonry takes time and access. In this test, Ommatidia Q1 Laser RADAR measured many points from the opposite bank, in line with the survey area. Mounted on a vehicle, the same approach can support extended measurement campaigns along a canal or corridor—without the cost and complexity of a fixed installation.

Stand-off access

Set up from the opposite side of the canal, with no sensors mounted across the wall face.

A broader view

Parallel channels reveal how the response changes along the measured line.

Vehicle-mounted campaigns

Vehicle-mounted measurement makes it practical to cover more of the network while keeping set-up light.

Measurement layout

The drawing shows the wall sections, accelerometer positions and hammer location used during the test. It allowed the team to compare contact measurements with Q1’s parallel laser-radar data.

Amsterdam’s seventeenth-century canal ring is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. That setting makes access and monitoring choices especially important. Download the field report.

What we found

Both systems identified the same sideways mode in the ambient and hammer-test data. Higher vertical modes appeared in the hammer tests. The result gives teams a practical starting point for vibration monitoring on canal infrastructure. For related work, see our guide to non-contact vibration measurement.

Plan your quay-wall survey

Ommatidia helps infrastructure teams plan the measurement geometry, stand-off position and sampling needed for a useful site survey. The aim is clear data that can inform the next engineering decision.

Amsterdam quay-wall measurement questions

These answers describe the Recht Boomssloot field test and do not generalize its result to every quay wall.

How was the Recht Boomssloot quay wall measured?

Q1 Laser RADAR observed a 12 m line below the capstone from the opposite side of the canal using 128 parallel optical channels. Ambient and hammer tests were recorded alongside two accelerometer layouts. Q1 acquired phasor data at 40 kHz, which the team converted to velocity time series for modal analysis.

Did Laser RADAR and the accelerometers measure the same mode?

In this field test, both systems identified the same main sideways mode in the ambient and hammer-test data. Higher vertical modes appeared in the hammer-test results. This is a case-specific comparison at one masonry wall, not a universal equivalence result for every structure or setup.

Does the field result prove that the quay wall is safe?

No. Identifying vibration modes does not by itself establish structural condition, load capacity, damage, foundation integrity or safety. Those decisions require the wider inspection record, repeatable baselines, soil and water context, structural analysis, uncertainty assessment and criteria defined by the responsible engineering authority.

What should be planned for a stand-off quay-wall survey?

Define the engineering question, visible measurement line, working distance, optical return, expected motion, excitation or ambient sources, reference-sensor layout, synchronization, duration and environmental conditions. Repeated surveys also require a stable geometry, comparable operating conditions and a rule for interpreting change.

Ommatidia Upgrade & Trade-In Program

Upgrade to Ommatidia’s latest Laser RADAR technology and unlock more capability for your next measurement challenge. Whether you are expanding an existing setup or replacing an older system, we offer tailored upgrade options with discounts of up to 40%.

If you are currently using another manufacturer’s system, send us your model and measurement requirements. We will review your trade-in possibilities, identify the best Ommatidia configuration, and outline a practical upgrade path for your team.

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Quay Wall Monitoring in Amsterdam

Quay Wall Monitoring in Amsterdam