Ground Wave Propagation Measurement using DAQ Module and LabVIEW

Abstract

Utilizing a data acquisition (DAQ) module and LABVIEW programming requires to develop in earth science/ engineering and equivalent, especially for educational purposes. This study implemented a geophone and an accelerometer to measure ground wave propagation with a study case of soil surface. Its measurement method consists of two modes. Firstly, the geophone is close to a wave source. Then, its position is changed by the accelerometer. The DAQ converts the detected signals from both sensors and then the LABVIEW interface processes and displays the outputs on the computer. The system can sense and reconstruct waveforms with a steady sampling frequency from 5 to 50 kHz. Also, it can automatically calculate a wave velocity by identifying the rising or falling edges of the wave signal and counting its arrival time within the distance between two sensors. As a result, it produces a better result at an interval of 0.2-0.6 m with a computed wave velocity of 72.531 m/s on average, even though a correction variable should be appended to the outcomes, amplified by two.