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http://dx.doi.org/10.7843/kgs.2006.22.5.47

Principles and Considerations of Bender Element Tests  

Lee Jong-Sub (Dept. of Civil and Environment Engrg., Korea Univ.)
Lee Chang-Ho (Dept. of Civil and Environment Engrg., Korea Univ.)
Publication Information
Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society / v.22, no.5, 2006 , pp. 47-57 More about this Journal
Abstract
The shear wave velocity is related with the stiffness of granular skeleton and mass density. The shear stiffness of the granular skeleton remains unaffected by the presence of the fluid. Bender elements are convenient shear wave transducers for instrumenting soil cells due to optimal soil-transducer coupling. This study addresses the principles of the shear wave, the design and implementation of bender elements including electromagnetic coupling prevention, directivity, resonant frequency, detection of first arrival, and near field effects. It is shown that electromagnetic coupling effects can be minimized using parallel-type bender elements. Thus, the in-plane S-wave directivity is quasi-circular. The resonant frequency of bender element installations depends on the geometry of the bender element, the anchor efficiency and the soil stiffness. One of the most cumbersome parts in the bender element test is near field effects, which affect the selection of arrival time. The selection of the first arrival within the near field Is effectively solved by the multiple reflection technique and signal matching technique. Bender elements, which requires several considerations, may be effective tools for the subsurface characterization by using S-wave.
Keywords
Arrival time; Bender elements; Shear waves; Signal processing; Resonant frequency;
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