Inverted Shear Modulus from Wave‐induced Soil Motion

Abstract

A previously developed technique, used mainly in seismology and geophysics, has been adopted to determine the shear modulus from soil displacements measured during wave tank experiments. This iterative inversion technique allowed the determination of the shear modulus and Coulomb specific loss (damping) with depth within a bentonite clay profile. It also allowed the observation of both the modulus reduction and damping curves for large shear strain amplitudes (up to 7%) for the first time. There was fairly good agreement between the modulus reduction curve determined by the inversion method and values found in the literature. Refinements to the inversion technique are suggested to improve determination of shear modulus. An alternate procedure to provide fairly reliable and quick estimates of the shear modulus is also presented.