An experimental comparison between the shear and the plane waves by using resonant column test

Abstract

The resonant column device is commonly used in laboratory to determine the dynamic properties of soils. During the resonant column test, a soil specimen is excited under torsional excitation at different frequencies. In this study, the travel times of the shear (S) and the plane (P) waves were measured on Toyoura sand samples at different relative densities with confining pressures and saturation degrees. Factors effecting on the wave velocities of Toyoura sand samples were investigated by comparing the test results. The variations of the P and S waves are discussed in detail on the basis of experimental results. The study showed that to determine the arrival times of the S-waves and Pwaves measured from the soils needs much more laboratory experiments and field test, as well. Copyright © 2012 by the International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers (ISOPE).