Multistation Methods for Geotechnical Characterization using Surface Waves
type: CreativeWork
description: This dissertation deals with soil characterization methods based on surface wave propagation applied to geotechnical engineering purposes. This topic has gained much interest in the last decade because of the appealing possibilities given by non-invasive methods, which are at once very flexible and cost effective. An overview of the properties of Rayleigh waves in layered linear elastic and linear viscoelastic media is presented, together with their applications for site characterization, of whose the SASW (Spectral Analysis of Surface Waves) method is by far the most well-known in geotechnical engineering. The research has been mainly focused on the application of multistation methods, compared with the classical two-station approach typical of the SASW method. Results from both numerical simulations and experimental testing are reported to compare two-station and multistation methods and to clarify the advantages that can be obtained using the latter ones. In particular the research has been developed following two different directions: on the one hand the application of classical geophysical analysis tools (such as domain analysis and slant stack transform) to tests performed with impulsive sources. On the other one the possibility of obtaining from surface wave testing not only a stiffness profile, but also a damping ratio profile for the site. In this respect a new method for simultaneous measurements of Rayleigh dispersion and attenuation curves is proposed. Regarding the first topic, the necessity of a multistation approach to determine the experimental dispersion test is essentially related to the spatial variation of phase velocity. Analyses in the frequency-wavenumber domain and in the frequency-slowness domain are very powerful approaches, still there was a need of studying the effects of the change of scale from geophysical applications to geotechnical ones. Indeed because of the peculiar properties of Rayleigh waves, surface testing is strongly affected…
abstract: This dissertation deals with soil characterization methods based on surface wave propagation applied to geotechnical engineering purposes. This topic has gained much interest in the last decade because of the appealing possibilities given by non-invasive methods, which are at once very flexible and cost effective. An overview of the properties of Rayleigh waves in layered linear elastic and linear viscoelastic media is presented, together with their applications for site characterization, of whose the SASW (Spectral Analysis of Surface Waves) method is by far the most well-known in geotechnical engineering. The research has been mainly focused on the application of multistation methods, compared with the classical two-station approach typical of the SASW method. Results from both numerical simulations and experimental testing are reported to compare two-station and multistation methods and to clarify the advantages that can be obtained using the latter ones. In particular the research has been developed following two different directions: on the one hand the application of classical geophysical analysis tools (such as domain analysis and slant stack transform) to tests performed with impulsive sources. On the other one the possibility of obtaining from surface wave testing not only a stiffness profile, but also a damping ratio profile for the site. In this respect a new method for simultaneous measurements of Rayleigh dispersion and attenuation curves is proposed. Regarding the first topic, the necessity of a multistation approach to determine the experimental dispersion test is essentially related to the spatial variation of phase velocity. Analyses in the frequency-wavenumber domain and in the frequency-slowness domain are very powerful approaches, still there was a need of studying the effects of the change of scale from geophysical applications to geotechnical ones. Indeed because of the peculiar properties of Rayleigh waves, surface testing is strongly affected…
author: FOTI, Sebastiano
language: eng
keywords: soil dynamic, site characterization, wave propagation, inverse method, shear modulus, Settore ICAR/07 - Geotecnica
date published: 2000
date modified: 2026-07-24T03:51:03Z
provider: Politecnico di Torino
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Politecnico di Torino

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/11583/2497212

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.6092/polito/porto/2497212