Soft-geotechnical Zone Determination using Surface-wave for Geotechnical Hazard Mitigation

Surface-wave analysis basically has a great aim to mitigate the geotechnical hazard because of its capability to map subsurface structures. Our research here deals with delineation of soft-geotechnical zone, a zone that has geotechnical hazard potential, using surface-wave. For this goal, numerical and field tests were performed. In numerical test, we simulate surface-wave shot gathered from a 2D model having a buried soft zone. Dispersion curves were measured from the generated shot gathered. Inversions of the resulting dispersion curves showed an estimated 2D shear-wave velocity model that mimicked the true model very well. The soft zone could be delineated excellently, albeit an anomalous soft zone was resulted about the right end of the true soft zone. Field data analyses with surface-wave could confidently map lateral and vertical subsurface variations. A soft zone beneath the road base could be modelled with a good comparison to a drilling data acquired nearby the survey line. Therefore, surface-wave analysis has convincing potential to be used for geotechnical hazard mapping as a part of mitigation measure.