Analysis of dispersed multi-mode signals of the SASW method using the multiple filter/crosscorrelation technique

Spectral analysis of surface waves (SASW) is a nondestructive in-situ testing method used for determining the thickness and elastic properties of pavement and soil sites using the dispersion characteristics of surface waves. In previous studies, it has been demonstrated that for some sites errors may arise in experimental dispersion curves when the usual SASW test and data analysis procedures are followed, in particular the phase unwrapping procedure and source-to-near-receiver spacing distance. These errors occur due to the participation of more than one surface wave mode in SASW signals. In this study, the multiple filter/crosscorrelation technique often used in earthquake seismology for the analysis of multi-mode earthquake records is presented and applied for calculating phase velocities from SASW signals. It is demonstrated that this technique produces results that are generally more accurate than those produced by the usual phase unwrapping procedure.     

Inversion of SASW dispersion curves based on maximum flexibility coefficients in the wave number domain

Spectral analysis of surface waves (SASW) is a nondestructive in-situ testing method that is used to determine stiffness profiles of soil and pavement sites based on dispersion characteristics of Rayleigh-type surface waves.Inversion of the Rayleigh wave dispersion curve of a site provides information on the variation of shear-wave velocity with depth. In the inversion procedures currently used for SASW tests, the field dispersion curve is matched with a theoretical dispersion curve obtained for the fundamental mode of surface wave propagation.In order to overcome difficulties associated with the presence of multi-modes in SASW signals, a new inversion method based on the maximum vertical flexibility coefficient is introduced in this paper. Unlike root-searching methods, the new method easily identifies the predominant propagation modes. In this new approach, the simplex method is used to match field and theoretical dispersion curves automatically. The purpose of this paper is to present the details of the new method and to demonstrate its advantages.     

Techniques for mode separation in Rayleigh wave testing

The spectral analysis of surface wave (SASW) developed in the early eighties has opened the way to the use of surface waves for the definition of shear wave velocity profiles in soil deposits or pavement structures without the need of any borings or intrusion. The SASW testing procedure was designed to minimize the contribution of higher modes and thus assumes that the Rayleigh waves which propagate at the surface belong only to the fundamental mode. Several studies have however demonstrated that, in some conditions, higher Rayleigh modes can contribute significantly to the dispersion curve. Different tests configurations exist today to deal with Rayleigh mode problem by the use of an array of receivers. In spite of that, the SASW configuration remains attractive due to the limited number of receivers, as well as, the Rayleigh modes contributing in SASW records configuration can be identified by multiple-filter technique and isolated using time-variable filters. The proposed techniques are first validated by simulated records and then applied to SASW records obtained in the field. The study confirms that higher modes can participate and even dominate in SASW records. An important contribution of higher Rayleigh modes can also exist, even if the shear wave velocity increases regularly with depth. The higher Rayleigh modes can significantly affect the accuracy of the shear wave velocity profile if they are not properly identified and separated. A multi-mode inversion process is shown to be important to have an accurate soil characterization.     

Effects of obstacles on Rayleigh wave dispersion obtained from the SASW test

This study investigates the effects of underground obstacles on a Rayleigh Wave dispersion curve obtained by spectral analysis of surface waves (SASW) testing. The SASW test is simulated by a transient response analysis of an axisymmetric finite element method. Both rigid obstacles and cavities with a variety of shapes and embedment depths are considered. Results show strong fluctuations in the dispersion curve obtained from the signals recorded by receivers in the vicinity of an obstacle. The fluctuations are primarily a result of wave reflections from the near and far faces of an obstacle. Results obtained from a finite element model are explained through a comparison with a simple theoretical model and experimental results are published. Fluctuations shown in the dispersion curve can result in misinterpretation of the shear wave velocity profile. Wherever obstacles are known to exist, an SASW test should be performed in a way that minimizes these effects. The parameters that will reduce or aggravate these effects were studied and are discussed.     

场地瑞利波频散特性的测试方法研究

瑞利波频散特性测试是波速结构的面波探测方法中的关键环节。本文不进行速度结构的比较,而是直接与表面波谱分析方法比较所提取的频散曲线,从而将反演方法可能引入的不确定性因素剥离了出去,能够更客观地说明地脉动台阵方法的有效性和精度。在唐山26个场地进行的两种方法中美联合观测和分析结果表明。地脉动方法在83％的场地达到了与表面波谱分析方法相同的精度,是一种经济有效的场地瑞利波频散特性和波速结构测试方法。     

Localization and de-noising seismic signals on SASW measurement by wavelet transform

SASW method is a nondestructive in situ testing method that is used to determine the dynamic properties of soil sites and pavement systems. Phase information and dispersion characteristics of a wave propagating through these systems have a significant role in the processing of recorded data. Inversion of the dispersive phase data provides information on the variation of shear-wave velocity with depth. However, in the case of sanded residual soil, it is not easy to produce the reliable phase spectrum curve. Due to natural noises and other human intervention in surface wave date generation deal with to reliable phase spectrum curve for sanded residual soil turn into the complex issue for geological scientist. In this paper, a time–frequency analysis based on complex Gaussian Derivative wavelet was applied to detect and localize all the events that are not identifiable by conventional signal processing methods. Then, the performance of discrete wavelet transform (DWT) in noise reduction of these recorded seismic signals was evaluated. Furthermore, in particular the influence of the decomposition level choice was investigated on efficiency of this process. This method is developed by various wavelet thresholding techniques which provide many options for controllable de-noising at each level of signal decomposition. Also, it obviates the need for high computation time compare with continuous wavelet transform. According to the results, the proposed method is powerful to visualize the interested spectrum range of seismic signals and to de-noise at low level decomposition.     

The use of MASW method in the assessment of soil liquefaction potential

The multi-channel analysis of surface wave (MASW) method is a non-invasive method recently developed to estimate shear wave velocity profile from surface wave energy. Unlike conventional SASW method, multi-station recording permits a single survey of a broad depth range and high levels of redundancy with a single field configuration. An efficient and unified wavefield transform technique is introduced for dispersion analysis and on site data quality control. The technique was demonstrated in the assessment of soil liquefaction potential at a site in Yuan Lin, Taiwan. The shear wave velocity and liquefaction potential assessments based on MASW method compares favorable to that based on SCPT shear wave measurements. Two-dimensional shear wave velocity profiles were estimated by occupying successive geophone spreads at several sites in central western Taiwan, at some of which sand boils or ground cracks occurred during 1999 Chi Chi earthquake. Liquefaction potential analysis based on MASW imaging was shown to be effective for estimating the extent of potential liquefaction hazard.     

Multi-offset phase analysis of surface wave data (MOPA)

Inaccuracy in the shear wave velocity profile inverted from surface wave data manifests from both modelling error and data uncertainty. An alternative method for dispersion curve evaluation by weighted linear regression of phase-offset data can be applied to both equispaced and non-equispaced data for objective identification of these often overlooked error sources.From field data, near-field effects are noted to at most half a wavelength and lateral discontinuities identified by marked changes in wavenumber with offset. Transition frequencies to dominant higher modes appear lower than when identified from standard plane-wave transform methods. Effects can be discriminated by their frequency, position or offset dependence.When a non-corrupt dispersion curve is extracted, the errors are up to 5% at low frequency. Through theoretical Gaussian error propagation analysis, the resulting shear wave velocity profile shows up to 18% uncertainty at depth.     

Simultaneous measurement and inversion of surface wave dispersion and attenuation curves

Surface wave tests are non-invasive seismic techniques that have traditionally been used to determine the shear wave velocity (i.e. shear modulus) profile of soil deposits and pavement systems. Recently, Rix et al. [J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Engng 126 (2000) 472] developed a procedure to obtain near-surface values of material damping ratio from measurements of the spatial attenuation of Rayleigh waves. To date, however, the shear wave velocity and shear damping ratio profiles have been determined separately. This practice neglects the coupling between surface wave phase velocity and attenuation that arises from material dispersion in dissipative media. This paper presents a procedure to measure and invert surface wave dispersion and attenuation data simultaneously and, thus, account for the close coupling between the two quantities. The methodology also introduces consistency between phase velocity and attenuation measurements by using the same experimental configuration for both. The new approach has been applied at a site in Memphis, TN and the results obtained are compared with independent measurements.     

基于拉东变换的瑞雷面波频散分析与应用

为克服面波谱分析法(SASW)提取频散曲线抗干扰能力差、不能得到多模式频散曲线等缺点,对拉东变换法进行了改进,不对原始记录进行数字处理,避免了数字处理效应的影响.通过对信号的频谱分析、结合场地的地质条件,选择频散分析的频率、速度范围,来达到规避高视速度的直达波、反射波.理论模型合成记录和实际资料的处理表明:研究的频散分析方法是有效的且适应性强,取得了较好的效果.     

Evaluation of density in layer compaction using SASW method

SASW test, which is non-intrusive and rapid in the field application, was used to evaluate the layer density in the roller compaction without performing the complicated inversion process. The concept of normalized shear wave velocity was introduced to minimize the effect of confinement in the density evaluation. SASW test was performed to determine the shear wave velocity of the layer, and the free–free resonant column (FF–RC) test was adopted to determine the correlation between the normalized shear wave velocity and density of the site, which is almost unique independent of confinement. Testing and data reduction procedures of both tests were briefly discussed and an evaluation procedure of the field density was proposed by effectively combining in-situ shear wave velocity determined by the SASW test with the correlation between the normalized shear wave velocity and the density determined by the FF–RC test. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed method was verified by performing a field case study at Hoengsung road construction site. Field densities determined by the proposed method matched well with those determined by sand cone tests, showing the potential of applying the proposed method in the field density evaluation.     

Experimental estimation of soil profiles through spatial phases analysis of surface waves

The proposed techniques in recent years for the analysis of superficial waves with multiple transducers have been focused in the identification of different types of waves in the ground. The multistation tests avoid the ambiguous phase unwrapping procedure required to obtain experimental dispersion curves for the SASW technique. However, the soil profiles with stiffness inversion in depth involve the contribution of higher modes, and the inversion process through “apparent” or “effective” dispersion curves presents difficulties since these contributions depend of the transducers layout. The technique proposed herein is based on the test simulation through an updating model with low computational cost and good accuracy that include all propagation modes. Two actual test cases performed with only six transducers shows the advantages of a new objective function called “spatial phase dispersion” whose experimental determination does not require subjective interventions by the analyst.     

Evaluation of shear wave velocity profile using SPT based uphole method

The uphole method is a field seismic test which uses receivers on the ground surface and an underground source. A modified form of the uphole method is introduced in order to obtain efficiently the shear wave velocity (V_S) profile of a site. This method is called the standard penetration test (SPT)-uphole method because it uses the impact energy of the split spoon sampler in the SPT test as a source. Since the SPT-uphole method can be performed simultaneously with the SPT test it is economical and not labor intensive compared to the original uphole methods which use small explosives or a mechanical source. Field testing and interpretation procedures for the proposed method are described. To obtain reliable travel time information of the shear wave, the first peak point of the shear wave using two component geophones is recommended. Through a numerical study using the finite element method (FEM), the procedure of the proposed method was verified. Finally, the SPT-uphole method was performed at several sites, and the field applicability of the proposed method was verified by comparing the V_S profiles determined by the SPT-uphole method with the profiles determined by the downhole, the spectral analysis of surfaces waves (SASW) method and from the SPT-N values.     

Classification of near-surface anomalies in the seismic refraction method according to the shape of the time–distance graph: A theoretical approach

Results obtained by SASW and PS-logging (in-hole) seismic techniques are compared with the relatively new ReMi (Refraction microtremor) method at a common site with a well-known soil profile: a recently constructed high-speed railway embankment. PS-logging is the most accurate technique in identifying the soil profile of the embankment followed by Re-Mi and SASW. Mean shear wave velocity estimations are also higher for PS-logging, followed by SASW and ReMi, while mean deviation is similar in each technique. The ReMi technique has provided very accurate results in the study of the embankment profile, which in addition to its high operability and its fast data processing, makes it a very convenient technique for extensive geotechnical surveys.     

套管井偶极弯曲波频散向高频偏移的特性

对套管井偶极弯曲模式波的频散特性进行了系统的数值考察、实例对比和分析.发现套管井弯曲波频散曲线随地层横波速度的降低,特别是地层横波速度小于2000 m·s^-1以下,会迅速移向高频区,偶极弯曲波基础模式主频散区（或截止频率）可出现在13 kHz以上,以致超出了现行低频偶极子声波测井仪的激发与接收频带,这是一过去没有被研究者注意到的现象,并进一步被现场实例所证实.研究表明控制套管井弯曲波频散曲线主频散区位置的主要是钢套管的厚度和地层横波速度.对地层横波速度大于井孔流体声速的快速地层,在钢套管壁厚一定（8 mm）的情况下,频散曲线主频散区可移至11 kHz以上,可能出现的最大可能频域位置是同一井孔内径,井外全钢时的频散曲线上等于、小于地层横波速度那一段,这对各种地层和套管参数都是适用的.对地层横波速度小于等于井孔流体声速（1500 m·s^-1）的慢速地层,弯曲波频散曲线随地层横波速度的降低移向高频区的特点更为明显,可能移至16 kHz以上;而套管厚度的影响,也比快速地层大的多,对地层横波速度小于1380 m·s^-1的慢速地层,无论用多高的频率激发,都不能在现行使用的各类套管井（壁厚6~12 mm）中用偶极声波测井仪测到弯曲模式波.     

微动探测方法软件的实现

利用微动进行勘探无需振动源,方便快捷、对环境没有干扰,是一种很有发展前景的勘探方法。针对微动探测数据处理的需求,开发研制了一套可视化微动探测处理分析软件系统MSMSPAC。该软件采用C~#语言开发,主要功能包括台阵设计、台阵方位角分布分析、数据格式转换、微动有效数据段挑选、数据滤波、重采样、参数计算及频散曲线提取、编辑、合并、项目管理等功能。软件系统界面友好,操作简便。     

Dispersion features of transmitted channel waves and inversion of coal seam thickness

In-seam seismic survey currently is a hot geophysical exploration technology used for the prediction of coal seam thickness in China. Many studies have investigated the relationship between the group velocity of channel wave at certain frequency and the actual thickness of exposed coal beds. But these results are based on statistics and not universally applicable to predict the thickness of coal seams. In this study, we first theoretically analyzed the relationship between the depth and energy distribution of multi-order Love-type channel waves and found that when the channel wave wavelength is smaller than the thickness of the coal seam, the energy is more concentrated, while when the wavelength is greater than the thickness, the energy reduces linearly. We then utilized the numerical simulation technology to obtain the signal of the simulated Love-type channel wave, analyzed its frequency dispersion, and calculated the theoretical dispersion curves. The results showed that the dispersion characteristics of the channel wave are closely related to the thickness of coal seam, and the shear wave velocity of the coal seam and its surrounding rocks. In addition, we for the first time realized the joint inversion of multi-order Love-type channel waves based on the genetic algorithm and inversely calculated the velocities of shear wave in both coal seam and its surrounding rocks and the thickness of the coal seam. In addition, we found the group velocity dispersion curve of the single-channel transmitted channel wave using the time–frequency analysis and obtained the phase velocity dispersion curve based on the mathematical relationship between the group and phase velocities. Moreover, we employed the phase velocity dispersion curve to complete the inversion of the above method and obtain the predicted coal seam thickness. By comparing the geological sketch of the coal mining face, we found that the predicted coal seam thickness is in good agreement with the actual thickness. Overall, adopting the channel wave inversion method that creatively uses the complete dispersion curve can obtain the shear wave velocities of the coal and its surrounding rocks, and analyzing the depth of the abruptly changed shear wave velocity can accurately obtain the thickness of the coal seam. Therefore, our study proved that this inversion method is feasible to be used in both simulation experiments and actual detection.     

土中Love波弥散特性

利用有限单元法及解析法建立和求解了土中Love波特征方程以及位移计算公式．计算结果表明,这一计算方法比纯解析法优越,可以用来分析均质和非均质上中Love波弥散性．本文利用这一方法详细讨论了Love波在上软下硬地基及软夹层地基中的传播特性和弥散特性．上软下硬地基Love波具有弥散性,土层的剪切波及厚度对Love波弥散曲线影响较大,而质量密度的相对变化对Love彼弥散曲线影响较小．软夹层地基中低频时Love波以第一模态波为主,现场所测为第一模态波波速;高频时存在多个高模态波,土中传播的波为这几个高模态波的叠加波,现场所测波速随两传感器的位置不同而有波动．     

Spatial behaviour of Rayleigh waves in layered half‐spaces under active surface sources

In the free state, Rayleigh waves are assumed to travel in the form of planar wavefronts. Under such an assumption, the propagation behaviour of the modes of Rayleigh waves in layered half‐spaces is only frequency dependent. The frequency behaviour, which is often termed as dispersion, is determined by the shear wave velocity profile of layered soils within the depth related to wavelength (or frequency). According to this characteristic, the shear wave velocity profile can be back‐analysed from the dispersion. The technique is widely used in the surface wave testing. However, the wavefronts of Rayleigh waves activated by the surface sources are non‐planar. The geometric discrepancy could result in Rayleigh waves manifesting distance‐dependent behaviour, which is referred to as spatial behaviour in this paper. Conventional analysis ignoring this spatial behaviour could introduce unexpected errors. In order to take the effects of sources on the propagation behaviour into account, a new mathematical model is established for Rayleigh waves in layered elastic media under vertical disc‐like surface sources using the thin‐layer method. The spatial behaviour of the activated modes and the apparent phase velocity, which is the propagation velocity of Rayleigh waves superposed by the multiple modes, are then analysed. Aspects of the spatial behaviour investigated in this paper include the equilibrium path, the particle orbit, and the geometric attenuation of the activated Rayleigh waves. The results presented in this paper can provide some guidelines for developing new inverse mathematical models and algorithms.     

地壳介质各向异性弹性本构关系讨论

论述了地壳介质中存在的各类向异性及其弹性本构关系,推导了应变能变换公式、ＥＤＡ薄层各向异性弹性常数及非对称面上ＥＤＡ构成的单斜对称弹性常数的计算公式;讨论了几种各向异性对称系统的本征方程并给出了弹性波的角散表达式,最后选取合理的参数对波的角散现象作了数值模拟。