In situ shear wave velocity from multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) tests at eight Norwegian research sites

Abstract

The multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) technique, which is used to determine shear wave velocity (Vs) and hence small strain stiffness (Gmax), has recently generated considerable interest in the geophysics community. This is because of the ease of carrying out the test and analysis of the data. The objective of this work was to assess the repeatability, accuracy, and reliability of MASW surface wave measurements for use in engineering studies. Tests were carried out at eight well-characterized Norwegian clay, silt, and sand research sites where Vs had already been assessed using independent means. As well as being easy and quick to use, the MASW technique gave consistent and repeatable results, and the MASW Vs profiles for the clay sites were similar to those obtained from other techniques. Reasonable results were also obtained for the silt and sand sites, with the best result being obtained for the finer silt. This work also confirms that MASW Vs clay profiles are comparable to those obtained by correlation with cone penetration test (CPT) data. For these sites there also seems to be a good correlation between normalized small strain shear modulus and in situ void ratio or water content, and the data fit well with published correlations for clays.Key words: soft clays, silts, sands, small strain stiffness, shear wave velocity.