Papers by Keyword: Bender Element

Abstract: New horizontally mounted bender element devices capable of high-quality transmission and reception of horizontally propagated shear waves polarized in orthogonal planes across the mid-height of a sand specimen are described. Mounting of these bender elements is on the membrane, attaching on the side wall of the reactor container. This technique is suitable for use on samples down to 80 mm length. The effective fabrication procedures that have been developed are described. The instrumentation systems used to drive and receive signals are outlined, and estimates of the magnitude of the shear strains developed by the bender elements and the accuracy with which shear wave velocities can be determined are discussed. The sand specimen is treated by the solution then its strength is developed. These new bender elements enable shear modulus to be measured before, during and after the treatment.

Abstract: Sedimentation is one of the most basic processes in the formation of a soil structure in nature. Many studies have been performed to describe the characteristics of clay sedimentation, based on settlement and water content measurement. In addition, there have been some attempts in numerical modeling to describe soil structure formation as a whole. However, these effects still fall short in explaining the overall process of soil structure formation because some relevant properties are measured after a self-weight consolidation is completed. Furthermore some measurement techniques significantly alter soil structure. Thus, a non-destructive evaluation is necessary for the effective description of soil characteristics during the sedimentation process. In this study, a testing device is designed that continuously monitors the self-weight consolidation process of sedimentation with shear waves. Piezoelectric bender elements are installed into a testing cell to generate and receive shear waves in a small strain regime. Slurries are prepared with kaolinite-type clay and placed in the cell. Shear wave velocities are continuously measured as a function of time during the whole process of the self weight consolidation. The experimental results suggest that as clay sediment is subjected to a certain loading, the shear wave velocity increases as time increases, showing an abrupt change in log time. This abrupt change is relevant to the formation of a stable soil skeleton. It is concluded that the time-dependent variations in shear wave velocity reflect sedimentation and self weight consolidation behavior and the evolution of the effective stress increment.