• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.109-120
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• 1991

Applications of microtremor to geological engineering are widely reviewed and observed microtremors are processed to show evidences of close relationship between the predominant periods of microtremor and underground structure. The ground vibrates continuously at all times and the elastic vibration is called microtremor (0.5-20Hz) or microseisms (0.01-0.1Hz) according to their frequency range. The vibration is believed to have propagative nature like those of the dispersive surface waves or multireflected shear waves. Microtremors were recorded at selected thress places of which subsoil structures are well distinguished in the Kyongsang Sedimentary Basin. It is found that the underground structures estimated from microtremor analysis coincide well with the known structures. The microtremor analysis of the long period range can be an inexpensive and effective tool in geological engineering for the evaluation of the underground structure, site-specific reponse spectrum, and seismic microzonations.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.23-33
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• 2022

The horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) of ambient noise is widely used to identify the resonant frequency of a site. The frequency at the largest HVSR is regarded as the resonant frequency. The source of ambient noise is impossible to identify and control. Therefore, obtaining reliable HVSR of ambient noise requires sufficient measurement time and absence of near-field vibration. In this study, we investigated the minimum stabilization time required for a portable seismometer and the effect of the distance between the seismometer and artificial vibration on HVSR estimation. In the case of a soil site, the HVSR was stabilized after 5 minutes after sensor installation. In the case of a rock site, stabilization required more than an hour. Human-footsteps within 10 m of the seismometer strongly influenced the HVSR for the soil site. These results provide a field guideline when measuring ambient noise for HVSR.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.380-392
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• 2002

The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the usage of microtremor in estimation of subsurface structure and ground response to strong ground motion. To accomplish the purpose, the current status of microtremor study are reviewed and microtremors recorded at several stations are analysed. First of all, the stability of microtremor is examined through the analysis of microtremors recorded for 80 seconds per hour during the time from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. for eight hours at night time. It is found that the shape of microtremor spectra of low frequency below 10Hz is approximately invariable with time and the spectra contain informations about subsurface structure. The subsurface structures estimated from the predominant frequency determined from the recorded microtremors are compared with the known ones from geophysical surveys at several stations in Kyungju. The comparison of structures shows rough agreements at most stations. Horizontal to vertical spectral ratio(HVSR) technique for microtremor has been proposed as an indirect method to determine ground response to strong ground motion. The HVSR for microtremors recorded in Kyungju is calculated and compared with theoretical transfer function calculated from the known structures. The comparison shows rough coincidence of the peak frequency of spectra between them.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1996.05d
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• pp.373-379
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• 1996

모든 물체는 물체를 구성하는 재료의 성질과 구조의 형식에 따라 각각의 고유주기를 갖고 있으며, 구조물을 구성하는 재료는 시간의 경과와 더불어 경년열화 과정을 거치므로 구조물의 고유주기는 조금씩 길어지는 경향을 갖는다. 그러므로 구조물의 건설 당시에 동적특성을 파악해 놓았다면 구조물에 문제가 발생했을 시의 동적특성을 측정하여 구조물의 손상 여부를 판단하는 중요한 열쇠가 된다. 본 연구는 자연적으로 발생하는 진동 또는 인간이 사회생활을 영위하면서 항상 발생하고 있는 지반의 미소한 외력인 상시미동을 이용하여 구조물의 동적특성을 측정하고 구조해석을 통한 해석결과와 비교 분석하여 구조물의 진동특성을 파악하는 편리한 도구로써 상시미동이라는 진동측정방법의 실용성을 확인하였으며, 고유진동수의 변화추이는 구조물의 건전성을 평가하는 새로운 지표가 될 수 있음을 제안하였다.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2009.04a
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• pp.540-543
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• 2009

본 연구는 숭례문의 진동측정을 통한 고유진동수와 감쇠, 진동모드 등의 파악을 목적으로 한다. 목조 건축물의 진동측정방법은 건축물에 손상을 주지 않으며 공학적인 데이터의 획득으로 숭례문의 시간, 환경에 따른 구조특성의 변화를 수치적으로 파악할 수 있게 해준다. 숭례문에 대하여 상시미동측정과 인력가진측정을 실시하였다. 그 결과, 숭례문의 진동특성은 장변방향으로 2.12Hz, 단변방향으로 1.56Hz로 비슷한 규모와 형식이라고 할 수 있는 흥인지문, 수원 팔달문보다 높은 고유진동수값을 얻었고 감쇠값은 장변방향으로 1.7%, 단변방향으로 1.8%의 값을 가진다. 2008년 화재로 전소된 숭례문의 진동특성이지만 앞으로 비슷한 구조 건축물에 대한 측정 데이터의 축적을 통하여 목조 건축물의 진동특성에 대한 주기식 및 성능파악에 대한 기준 및 평가자료의 근거로 쓸 수가 있다.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.16 no.4 s.50
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• pp.381-392
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• 2006

The passive surface wave survey using microtremor is conducted in areas of crystalline rock basements to obtain average shear-wave velocity structures to 30 m deep (Vs30), on which the earthquake-resistant design standard is based. Test data were recorded at two sites with triangular and L-shaped arrays for 4 seconds with an sampling interval of 2 ms. The microtremor recorded at a site were analysed using the spatial autocorrelation method to obtain phase-velocity spectra and effects of major factors such as size and shape of away and number of record and receiver were examined. At the other site, shear-wave velocities were derived from VSP and microtremor data separately. The results from these two methods agree to each other reasonably well, indicating that the microtremor method can be an effective geophysical tool to measure Vs30.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.88-95
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• 2017

Chogye basin, which is surrounded by country rock, has a closed-basin form. In such a basin, incident seismic energy can form multiply reflected waves, thus causing energy concentration to occur at this closed-basin area. Microtremor measurement survey was performed at the Chogye basin, which is located in Chogye-myeon and Jeokjungmyeon, Hapcheon-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, Republic of Korea. Microtremor data were transformed into the frequency domain, and then the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios (HVSR) were calculated. Fundamental resonance frequencies were estimated from the HVSR results for every observation point. Using the empirical relationship between site period and thickness for sediment sites in Korea known from the previous study, the distribution of sediment thickness of the Chogye basin was estimated from the fundamental resonance frequencies. Being compared with the mountainous rim with steep slope, the measurement points inside the basin have low values of the fundamental resonance frequency with the minimum of 1.03 Hz, which corresponds to the thickness of sedimentary layer with the maximum depth of about 100 m. A three-dimensional basin model was constructed for bedrock topography of the Chogye basin by an interpolation of basin depths estimated at each measurement site.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 1999.10a
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• pp.375-382
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• 1999

The fundamental vibration period of a shearwall apartments cannot estimate accurately by means of empirical formulas specified in present codes, The objective of this paper is to estimate the period of a shearwall apartments by microtremor measurement. A micretremor is the continuous small oscillation of the ground cause by traffic and operation machinery. Microtremors are extensively studied primarily in Japan to estimate conveniently subsurface structures of soil deposits and building vibrations. It is obtained the results that the fundamental periods estimated by microtremor measurement are shorter than those values by dynamic analysis of building.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.31-40
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• 2023

We installed temporary strong motion seismometers at the ground surface, 1 m, 2 m, and 9 m at an existing seismic station that houses permanent seismometers installed at 20 m and 100 m, to investigate the influence of installation depth on the recorded ambient and anthropogenic noise level and the characteristics of earthquake signals. Analysis of the ambient noise shows that anthropogenic noise dominates where vibration period T < 1 s at the studied site, whereas wind speed appears to be strongly correlated with the noise level at T > 1 s. Frequency-wavenumber analysis of 2D seismometer array suggests that ambient noise in short periods are predominantly body waves, rather than surface waves. The level of ambient noise was low at 9 m and 20 m, but strong amplification of noise level at T < 0.1 s was observed at the shallow seismometers. Both the active-source test result and the recorded earthquake data demonstrated that the signal level is decreased with the increase of depth. Our result also shows that recorded motions at the ground and 1 m are strongly amplified at 20 Hz (T = 0.05 s), likely due to the resonance of the 3 m thick soil layer. This study demonstrates that analysis of ambient and active-source vibration may help find optimal installation depth of strong motion seismometers. We expect that further research considering various noise environments and geological conditions will be helpful in establishing a guideline for optimal installation of strong motion seismometers.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.47-60
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• 2007

Conventional active surface wave measurements performed using a transient or continuous source are often limited in the maximum depth of penetration due to the difficulty of generating low-frequency energy with reasonably portable sources. This limitation may inhibit accurate seismic site response calculations because of the inability to define deeper subsurface structure. By measuring surface wave generated by passive sources including microtremors and cultural noise, it is possible to overcome this problem and develop soil stiffness profiles to much larger depth. Reliability of dispersion estimates from the passive surface wave measurements is critical to present reliable shear wave velocity profiles and can be improved by the measurements and analyses of passive surface waves based on correct understanding of systematic errors included in passive dispersion data. In this study, the systematic errors caused by poor wavenumber resolution and energy leakage into sidelobes in passive tests are mainly explored. Recommendations for reliable passive surface wave measurements and dispersion estimates are presented and illustrated at a site in San Jose, California, U.S.