| A very popular type of equipment in experimental soil characterization is the Bender Element (BE). This report is a documentation of a new and unique usage of Bender Elements. It will be shown that a newly implemented BE system, at the University at Buffalo (UB), is effective and grounds for further investigation and investment when used in conjunction with the UB Geotechnical Laminar Box (GLB). The use of BEs in a large scale soil testing experiment, like the ones conducted in the GLB, is a novel idea and is for the first time being used here at UB in the SEESL.;The Shear Wave Velocity (SWV) of a soil specimen is a valuable mechanical property when correlating to other geotechnical indices and when considering complicated phenomena such as liquefaction and Soil Structure Interaction. The goal of this document is to show that Bender Elements are capable of predicting/measuring the SWV of a soil specimen in the GLB.;The appreciated reason to use BEs in the GLB is that this, non-destructive, instrumentation can measure the SWV through the duration of the experimental project. By mapping the changing physical properties of the soil model, "experimental observations ... and failure mechanisms" can be obtained and "high-quality test data" can be witnessed during the experiment's progress and fully analyzed at the end of the project. These wishes of acquiring good test data and being able visualize, in real time, the characteristics of the model is the backbone of this report and is critical for future research.;This report will offer a concise review of the related literature and background concepts and the rational for further investigation. There will be description of the steps leading up to the main experiment. The GLB experiment in conjunction with the BE equipment will be described and the analysis of the results, including tomograms, will be outlined with also identification of improvements that are suggested to be made to the BE/GLB system before future projects. |
