GROUND SURVEY BASED ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF SURFACE WAVE VELOCITY AND ELECTRICAL RESISTIBILITY

Abstract

Geophysical exploration, which can explore the distribution of material properties underground,
has, for less than the last half a century, been applied for prospecting groundwater and bedrock. Though simulation
techniques have improved with greater sophistication of the constitutive model for soil material, comprehension
of current soil conditions is important for accurately predicting the behavior of earth structures. Therefore, the
importance of geophysical exploration is growing. Soil parameters are indirectly identified from physical
parameters, such as wave velocity, electric conductivity and so on. In geophysical exploration, calibrating physical
parameters with necessary soil parameters is required for individual soil material and has thus prevented the
application of geophysical exploration at the site level. In this study, surface wave and electric prospecting were
conducted at a site first investigated circumstantially by borings and other soundings. Then, the applicability of
surface wave and electric prospecting were validated through their comparison. Next, geophysical explorations
were conducted on a large-size embankment. Consequently, the applicable scope of this type of exploration was
demonstrated, proving its applicability for geotechnical engineering sites.