Vibroseis Truck Research Articles

Separating harmonics in the ground-force signal of a seismic vibratory source

The ground-force signal of a Vibroseis truck is unavoidably contaminated by harmonics. To better characterize the subsurface, the fundamental mode in the ground-force signal is the preferred choice for crosscorrelation with the raw seismic data measured in the field. We develop a novel, efficient, and effective harmonics decomposition method to separate the different orders of harmonics in the ground-force signal. Our method first builds a mathematical model to describe the different orders of harmonics in the ground-force signal by honoring the physical mechanism behind the harmonics generation and then retrieves the different orders of harmonics by solving overdetermined linear problems in the analytic signal domain. The success of our method is demonstrated using synthetic and field data examples.

An Open-Access Data Set of Active-Source and Passive-Wavefield DAS and Nodal Seismometer Measurements at the Newberry Florida Site

Abstract This article documents a comprehensive subsurface imaging experiment using seismic waves in a well-studied outdoor laboratory at Newberry, Florida, which is known for significant spatial variability, karstic voids, and underground anomalies. The experiment used approximately two kilometers of distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) fiber-optic cable, forming a dense 2D array of 1920 horizontal-component channels, and a 2D array of 144 SmartSolo three-component nodal seismometers, to sense active-source and passive-wavefield seismic waves. The active-source data were generated using a powerful, triaxial vibroseis shaker truck (T-Rex) and impact sources (accelerated weight drop and an eight-pound sledgehammer) that were simultaneously recorded by both the DAS and nodal seismometers. The vibroseis truck was used to excite the ground in three directions (two horizontal and one vertical) at 260 locations inside and outside the instrumented array, whereas the impact sources were used at 268 locations within the instrumented array. The passive-wavefield data recorded using the nodal seismometers comprised 48 hr of ambient noise collected over a period of four days in four 12-hour time blocks, whereas the passive wavefield data collected using DAS consisted of four hours of ambient noise recordings. This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the testing site, experiment layout, the DAS and nodal seismometer acquisition parameters, and implemented raw data processing steps. Although potential use cases, such as surface-wave testing, full-waveform inversion, and ambient noise tomography, are discussed relative to example data, the focus of this article is on documenting this unique data set and presenting its initial data quality rather than on generating subsurface imaging results. The raw and processed data, along with detailed documentation of the experiment and Python tools to aid in visualizing the DAS data set, have been made publicly available.

Subsurface imaging dataset acquired at the Garner Valley Downhole Array site using a dense network of three-component nodal stations

There is a growing need to characterize the engineering material properties of the shallow subsurface in three dimensions for advanced engineering analyses. However, imaging the near-surface in three dimensions at spatial resolutions required for such purposes remains in its infancy and requires further study before it can be adopted into practice. To enable and accelerate research in this area, we present a large subsurface imaging data set acquired using a dense network of three-component (3C) nodal stations acquired in 2019 at the Garner Valley Downhole Array (GVDA) site. Acquisition of this data set involved the deployment of 196 stations positioned on a 14 × 14 grid with a 5 m spacing. The array was used to acquire active-source data generated by a vibroseis truck and an instrumented sledgehammer, and passive-wavefield data containing ambient noise. The active-source acquisition included 66 vibroseis and 209 instrumented sledgehammer source locations. Multiple source impacts were recorded at each source location to enable stacking of the recorded signals. The active-source recordings are provided in terms of both raw, uncorrected units of counts and corrected engineering units of meters per second. For each source impact, the force output from the vibroseis or instrumented sledgehammer was recorded and is provided in both raw counts and engineering units of kilonewtons. The passive-wavefield data include 28 h of ambient noise recorded over two nighttime deployments. The data set is shown to be useful for active-source and passive-wavefield three-dimensional imaging and other subsurface characterization techniques, which include horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios (HVSRs), multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW), and microtremor array measurements (MAM).

Research on Rollover Stability and an Anti-Rollover Warning System for the Vibroseis Truck

Vibroseis trucks are in danger of rollover during the steering process, which severely threatens the safety of the drivers and the equipment. Therefore, it is important to examine approaches to increase the anti-rollover ability of vibroseis trucks. According to the structural characteristics and working field of the vibroseis truck, an analysis of the influence of different factors on its rollover stability was carried out. Then, a rollover warning index and an anti-rollover warning system were established, which can achieve four levels of judgment of different driving states. A simulation analysis of the anti-rollover warning system was conducted with MATLAB/Simulink software. The results showed that this warning system could accurately determine the driving state on a flat road and a sloping road and produce four types of sound–light alarm according to different rollover states. At the same time, the vibroseis truck showed poor roll stability in the slope steering process which is more prone to rollover accidents. This study establishes a foundation for further research on the design of warning systems not only for vibroseis trucks but also for other articulated trucks.

3D Numerical Assessment of Rammed Aggregate Pier Performance under Dynamic Loading in Liquefiable Soils

Ground improvement (GI) techniques have shown promise in effective liquefaction mitigation, but the physical mechanisms governing their three-dimensional (3D) response during dynamic loading are not yet fully understood. To evaluate the 3D performance of one GI technique, the rammed aggregate pier (RAP), in-situ site characterization, full-scale field test data, and calibrated baseline constitutive soil model parameters are combined to model the 3D fully coupled hydromechanical response of natural (unreinforced) and improved (reinforced) soil profiles. To the authors’ knowledge, this contribution represents the first 3D model of a columnar-reinforced soil profile being calibrated using full-scale field testing. The field observations from the comprehensive ground improvement testing (GIT) program in New Zealand and insights from two-dimensional (2D) finite-difference analyses using constitutive model parameters calibrated against the field measurements were used. The developed 3D models were subjected to dynamic loads simulating the excitation generated by a vibroseis truck at one of the in-situ test sites of the GIT program, as well as unidirectional and bidirectional earthquake ground motions from the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence events. The 3D simulations showed that the improved soil profiles experienced reduced excess pore pressures and reduced dynamically induced shear strains compared to the natural, unreinforced soil models. The developed 3D finite-element predictions were compared and validated vis-à-vis the field observations of the GIT program. Compared to 2D analyses, 3D analyses provide a more accurate description of actual field conditions, and, for instance, it was observed that multidirectional shaking has a significant effect on liquefaction triggering, particularly for natural soil profiles. Finally, it was shown that soil densification around the installed pier elements and the lateral earth pressure increase within the densified soil and are the primary ground improvement mechanisms contributing to the reduction of dynamically induced shear deformations and excess pore pressure generation during earthquake shaking. It was also found that the permeability and shear stiffness of the installed RAP piers did not have a significant influence on the pore pressure response and shear strains developed along the centerline of the improved area.

Extracting high-resolution, multi-mode surface wave dispersion data from distributed acoustic sensing measurements using the multichannel analysis of surface waves

Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) is a rapidly expanding tool to sense wave propagation and system deformations in many engineering applications. In terms of site characterization, DAS presents the ability to make dynamic strain measurements at scales (e.g., kilometers) and spatial resolutions (e.g., meters) that were previously unattainable with traditional measurement technologies. In this study, we use both vibroseis truck and sledgehammer sources to demonstrate that DAS can be used to make multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) dispersion measurements that are equivalent in quality to geophones when: (a) a tight-buffered or strain-sensing fiber-optic cable is used, (b) the cable is buried in a shallow trench to enhance coupling, and (c) short gauge lengths and small channel separations are used. We analytically demonstrate the impact gauge length has on DAS measurements in terms of phase and amplitude for off-end MASW surveys. We further show that the choice of waveform units (i.e., phase, strain, strain-rate, displacement, velocity) do not impact the dispersion results when frequency-dependent normalization is applied to the dispersion images. Finally, we show that shear wave velocity profiles recovered from the DAS data using an uncertainty-consistent, multi-mode inversion agree favorably with cone penetration tests performed at the site. This study demonstrates that DAS, when appropriate considerations are made, can be used instead of traditional sensors (i.e., geophones) for making high-resolution, multi-mode measurements of surface wave dispersion data using the MASW technique.

Rotation, Strain, and Translation Sensors Performance Tests with Active Seismic Sources.

Interest in measuring displacement gradients, such as rotation and strain, is growing in many areas of geophysical research. This results in an urgent demand for reliable and field-deployable instruments measuring these quantities. In order to further establish a high-quality standard for rotation and strain measurements in seismology, we organized a comparative sensor test experiment that took place in November 2019 at the Geophysical Observatory of the Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich in Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany. More than 24 different sensors, including three-component and single-component broadband rotational seismometers, six-component strong-motion sensors and Rotaphone systems, as well as the large ring laser gyroscopes ROMY and a Distributed Acoustic Sensing system, were involved in addition to 14 classical broadband seismometers and a 160 channel, 4.5 Hz geophone chain. The experiment consisted of two parts: during the first part, the sensors were co-located in a huddle test recording self-noise and signals from small, nearby explosions. In a second part, the sensors were distributed into the field in various array configurations recording seismic signals that were generated by small amounts of explosive and a Vibroseis truck. This paper presents details on the experimental setup and a first sensor performance comparison focusing on sensor self-noise, signal-to-noise ratios, and waveform similarities for the rotation rate sensors. Most of the sensors show a high level of coherency and waveform similarity within a narrow frequency range between 10 Hz and 20 Hz for recordings from a nearby explosion signal. Sensor as well as experiment design are critically accessed revealing the great need for reliable reference sensors.

Research on a rollover protective technique for a vibroseis truck based on reliability analysis

Research on a rollover protective technique for a vibroseis truck based on reliability analysis

Imaging shallow structure with active-source surface wave signal recorded by distributed acoustic sensing arrays

Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) is one recently developed seismic acquisition technique that is based on fiber-optic sensing. DAS provides dense spatial spacing that is useful to image shallow structure with surface waves. To test the feasibility of DAS in shallow structure imaging, the PoroTomo team conducted a DAS experiment with the vibroseis truck T-Rex in Brady’s Hot Springs, Nevada, USA. The Rayleigh waves excited by the vertical mode of the vibroseis truck were analyzed with the Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) method. Phase velocities between 5 and 20 Hz were successfully extracted for one segment of cable and were employed to build a shear-wave velocity model for the top 50 meters. The dispersion curves obtained with DAS agree well with the ones extracted from co-located geophones data and from the passive source Noise Correlation Functions (NCF). Comparing to the co-located geophone array, the higher sensor density that DAS arrays provides help reducing aliasing in dispersion analysis, and separating different surface wave modes. This study demonstrates the feasibility and advantage of DAS in imaging shallow structure with surface waves.

Research on a rollover protective technique for a vibroseis truck based on reliability analysis

Rollover accidents occur frequently in the process of vibroseis truck driving, which endangers the drivers and apparatus. Therefore, we first study the driving stability of vibroseis trucks to determine the limit state function of stable driving. Then, the stable driving reliability analysis of the vibroseis truck could be performed under complicated road stimulation. The analysis results show that the risk of rollover still exists, so it is necessary to install a rollover protective structure (ROPS) on the vibroseis truck. Therefore, we establish a systematic and scientific evaluation index system of safety protection and performance. Then, based on the finite element analysis (FEA) technology, we perform the dynamic simulation analysis of vibroseis truck rollover with and without the ROPS. The ROPS would play a significant role in protecting the vibroseis truck. The research results also provide scientific guidance for the similar design of vehicle anti-rollover structure in the field.

Changes in CO2 diffuse degassing induced by the passing of seismic waves

Solfatara crater, located in the Campi Flegrei caldera, is a volcano with one of the highest degassing rates on Earth, more than 1500t of CO2 released by diffusion or through vents. Here, we investigated how this gas release can be disrupted by the passage of seismic waves. We performed continuous soil CO2 flux measurements during the propagation of seismic vibrations in the range of 5Hz to 200Hz induced by a vibroseis truck. The CO2 flux was continuously recorded using the accumulation chamber method. The data show a temporary and drastic (up to two-fold) increase in CO2 flux exclusively during the vibrations, before returning to the initial flux values. These transient variations are interpreted as fluidization of the surficial granular layer that releases the stored gas. Similar degassing processes might occur at a larger scale during earthquakes, to cause temporary increases in the total gas outflow in volcanic or tectonic areas. Our findings are useful to better assess and monitor the potential hazard from sudden CO2 flux release during earthquakes as several cases of intoxication or death have already been related to volcanic degassing.

Advanced design for vibroseis truck's ROPS and its secure and protective performance analyses based on dynamics simulation research

This research develops a design methodology for the vibroseis truck rollover protective structure (ROPS) and analyses its safety and protective performance with dynamics simulations. A new ROPS with the vertical anti-rolling over property is designed. For the typical field working conditions, we perform the stability study on the vibroseis truck and find its threshold function by using rollover dynamics. With the proposed protection and performance evaluation criteria, we analyse the protection performance of the new and old ROPS with finite element (FE) dynamics simulation. Then, the stress to strain, impact deformation, impact acceleration and interior energy distribution law are obtained during the process of the truck rolling over. The effect of the structure on its protective performance is also found. These analyses result in an optimal design of ROPS. The results will improve the safety of vibroseis trucks and then enhance the technology of oil and gas exploration equipment.

Mapping brittle fracture zones in three dimensions: high resolution traveltime seismic tomography in a granitic pluton

SUMMARY Fractured and altered zones within a granitic pluton are mapped in three dimensions by means of high resolution seismic traveltime tomography. The input traveltimes were picked from offset and azimuth variable vertical seismic profiles (OVSP) acquired in three boreholes and from seismic shot gathers of four CDP high resolution seismic reflection profiles recorded on the surface. For the OVSP data a hydrophone streamer placed in the boreholes recorded the acoustic energy generated (a signal with a frequency content between 15 to 150 Hz) by a Vibroseis truck at source points distributed every 30 m in a rectangular grid of 620 m by 150 m. The combination of borehole and surface seismic data resulted in an increase in the ray density of the shallow subsurface. The tomographic algorithm uses a variable model grid, with a finer grid spacing close to the surface were ray density is highest and the velocity variations are strongest. Therefore the resulting velocity models feature more detail at shallow levels. A simple and smooth starting velocity model was derived from P-wave velocity logs. Careful surface geological mapping, and borehole geophysical data, P- and S-wave velocity logs and Poisson’s ratio depth functions, provided key constraints for a physically reasonable 3-D interpretation of the tomograms. The low velocity anomalies constrained by the tomographic images were interpreted as unconsolidated rock, fractures and altered zones which correlate with structures mapped at the surface or velocity anomalies identified in the logs. Subsequent resolution analysis revealed that the derived velocity model is well constrained to depths of 60 m.

Comparison of Shear-Wave Slowness Profiles at 10 Strong-Motion Sites from Noninvasive SASW Measurements and Measurements Made in Boreholes

The spectral-analysis-of-surface-waves (SASW) method is a relatively new in situ method for determining shear-wave slownesses. All measurements are made on the ground surface, making it much less costly than methods that require boreholes. The SASW method uses a number of active sources (ranging from a commercial Vibroseis truck to a small handheld hammer for the study conducted here) and different receiver spacings to map a curve of apparent phase velocity versus frequency. With the simplifying assumption that the phase velocities correspond to fundamental mode surface waves, forward modeling yields an estimate of the subsurface shear-wave slownesses. To establish the reliability of this indirect technique, we conducted a blind evaluation of the SASW method. SASW testing was performed at 10 strong-motion stations at which borehole seismic measurements were previously or subsequently made; if previously made, the borehole results were not used for the interpretation of the SASW data, and vice-versa. Comparisons of the shear-wave slownesses from the SASW and borehole measurements are generally very good. The differences in predicted ground-motion amplifications are less than about 15% for most frequencies. In addition, both methods gave the same NEHRP site classification for seven of the sites. For the other three sites the average velocities from the downhole measurements were only 5-13 m/sec larger than the velocity defining the class C/D boundary. This study demonstrates that in many situations the SASW method can provide subsurface information suitable for site response predictions. Manuscript received 18 January 2002.