Abstract
1 wesleyr@uj.ac.za 2 svonsolms@uj.ac.za 3 johanm@uj.ac.za 4 charley@uj.ac.za Abstract—Sinkholes can often occur suddenly with devastating impacts on infrastructure and can sometimes result in loss of life. Sinkhole detection and monitoring systems are vital engineering countermeasures to help prevent infrastructure damage and loss of life from occurring. This paper investigates the use of linear regression as a means of geometrically characterising, in terms of volume, a forming cover-subsidence sinkhole using strain measurements obtained from fibre bragg gratings. The data for the linear regression algorithm was obtained from an experimental test rig whereby a cover-subsidence sinkhole was formed under controlled conditions in a laboratory. The results of the linear regression algorithm are presented and discussed in this paper along with future work.