Bender elements in stiff cemented clay: shear wave velocity (Vs) correction by applying wavelength considerations

For the quality control of cement mixing in clays, small strain shear stiffness Gmax is now being increasingly used due to enhanced repeatability in shear wave velocity (Vs) measurements. These stiff cemented clays have higher resonant frequencies that require the use of higher input frequencies in bender element testing for reliable Vs measurements. However, the practical requirements for suitable signals (with minimal near field effects and wave reflections) can be often difficult to implement. To facilitate such Vs measurements, the current study proposes a methodology that can correct Vs values corresponding to lower wave propagation distance to wavelength ratios (Ltt/λ) to more reliable values of Vs at reference Ltt/λ criterion suggested in previous studies (e.g., 2, 3.33 and 4). Two clay types are mixed with Ordinary Portland Cement and various mix ratios are utilized in order to cover a wider range of soil stiffness. Based on the collected database, it is found that the resulting fitting functions enable us to reasonably estimate the stabilized Vs values corresponding to the suggested Ltt/λ criterion regardless of the nature of input sine signal.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author