DEVELOPING EMPIRICAL CORRELATION BETWEEN SHEAR WAVE VELOCITY AND STANDARD PENETRATION RESISTANCE USING MASW METHOD

Abstract

The shear wave velocity (VS) is one of the important parameters that represent the stiffness of the soil layers. The shear wave velocity profile is typically measured by conducting wave propagation tests in the field such as seismic Reflection Test, seismic Refraction Test, suspension logging test, seismic down hole (up hole) test, spectral analysis of surface waves (SASW), Multichannel Analysis of Surface Wave (MASW), etc. But usually it is not economically possible to perform these tests at all the sites. Therefore, a reliable empirical relationship between VS and N-value would be significant advantage; the correlation between N-value and VS can be utilized to evaluate geotechnical parameters in regions where boreholes are not available or geophysical investigation exist. On the other hand, shear wave velocity can be used to estimate several soil parameters through many empirical correlations. In this study, two site investigations for two different sites in Malaysia have been conducted, three SPT test accompanied with MASW test was conducted in first site, while two SPT test and MASW test were conducted in second site. After collecting all the data of SPT and shear wave velocity VS, this study has developed a new relationship between N value and shear wave velocity VS.