Shear-Wave Velocity Correlations for Puyallup River Alluvium

Abstract

The suitability of selected cone penetration test-based shear-wave velocity correlations is assessed for use with Puyallup River alluvium in Puget Sound, Washington. The correlation models are found to be biased for Puyallup River alluvium; however, the functional forms of selected correlations were found to be readily adapted to local site conditions. The calibration for Puyallup River alluvium is presented and is found to perform satisfactorily for both down-hole SCPTu- and boring-based down-hole shear-wave velocity derived measurements. The distributions of prediction bias are presented for use in reliability studies. Recommendations are made for calibration of geologic-specific correlations using the functional forms of selected statistical shear-wave velocity regression models.