Estimation of shear wave velocity of earth dam materials using artificial blasting test

• Near-field blasting testing and monitoring were carried out at an earth dam.
• The fundamental frequency of the target dam was computed using blasting records.
• Shear wave velocity of earth fill materials could be reasonably evaluated using records.
• The method can be applied to mid-to-small dams without earthquake records.

The objective of this study is to estimate the shear wave velocity of earth dam materials using the vibration generated from artificial blasting events, and to verify its applicability. In this study, near-field artificial blast testing and monitoring were carried out at the Seongdeok dam, Korea, as the first blasting tests to be carried out on an existing dam in Korea. Vibrations were induced by four different types of blasting, using various explosive charge weights and depths of blasting bore-holes. During the tests, acceleration time histories were measured at the rock outcrop adjacent to the point of the explosion, and at the crest of the dam. The fundamental frequency of the target dam was computed from the frequency analysis of measured acceleration histories. Numerical analyses were carried out, varying the shear modulus of the earth fill zone and using the acceleration histories measured at the rock outcrop as input ground motions. From a comparison between the fundamental frequencies calculated by numerical analyses and those of measured records, the shear wave velocities with depth, which are closely related to shear moduli, could be estimated. It is found that the effect of different blasting types on shear wave velocity estimation for the target dam materials is negligible, and that shear wave velocity can be consistently evaluated. Furthermore, by comparing the evaluated shear wave velocity with empirical formulae from previous research, the applicability of the method was verified. Therefore, in cases of mid-to-small earth dams, where the earthquake record is not available, the shear wave velocity of earth fill materials can be reasonably evaluated using blasting vibration records obtained at the site adjacent to the dam.