K₀ estimation in level granular soil from anisotropic wave velocities on the basis of micromechanics

Abstract

SUMMARYThis study aims to explore the possibility for estimating K 0 in a level ground of granular soil by seismic methods on the basis of micromechanics theory. The idea was to simulate in situ cross-hole seismic method for the measurement of wave velocities along various directions of wave-propagation. This work made use of a field simulator to control a K 0 condition (zero lateral strain condition) in specimens. A series of vertical loading containing subsequent loading and unloading were applied to the specimen prepared by pluviation. In general, the K 0 values determined experimentally in this work agreed with the exiting empirical relations. K 0 value was also calibrated from measured anisotropic wave velocities using an optimization procedure. From the comparison of the back-calculated and measured results of K 0 ; it revealed the feasibility for the determination of the in situ lateral stress in granular soil by seismic methods and on the basis of micromechanics theory as long as enough wave-velocity measurements along various directions of wavepropagation were available. The potential for the usage of the presented methodology for the determination of the in situ lateral stress in level-ground of granular soil by seismic methods seems encouraging.