Shake Table Testing: A High-Resolution Vertical Accelerometer Array for Tracking Shear Wave Velocity
Muhammad Zayed, Ahmed Ebeido, Athul Prabhakaran, Kyungtae Kim, Zhijian Qiu, Ahmed Elgamal
Abstract
Abstract Dynamic ground and ground-structure responses are heavily dependent on the soil shear wave velocity. During seismic excitation, soil stiffness inferred from the shear wave velocity (Vs) might change significantly and affect the overall system response. In this study, an instrumentation and analysis framework was developed to allow for continuous estimation of Vs during dynamic/seismic excitation. The framework is presented along with representative applications during shake table testing of saturated sand strata. For that purpose, results from two different 1-g shake table tests conducted in a laminar soil container are examined and analyzed. In this context, evolution of the soil Vs profile during the shaking event is tracked and documented. The experimental setup, test procedure, and test results are described. Time histories of Vs at different depths within the sand strata are discussed. Overall, the developed techniques can be conveniently included in routine 1-g and centrifuge shake table experimentation efforts, when properly accounting for the differences between sizes of 1 g and centrifuge models.