Ultrasonic Propagation Testing for Kaolin Clay

摘要

The objective of the present research is to evaluate the sound wave propagation velocity and attenuation characteristics of kaolin clay specimens using ultrasonic testing. Saturated kaolin clay specimens with known initial void ratio and microfabric were prepared using a two stage slurry consolidation technique. For a known state of stress and initial arrangement of clay platelets, experiments were conducted to evaluate the longitudinal wave propagation velocity and associated damping behavior. The effects of major variables involved with ultrasonic testing (frequency, coupling issues, specimen length) of cohesive soil were considered in this study. This research has applications related to non-destructive methods for characterizing cohesive geo-materials and has implications to understanding the behavior of structures on cohesive soil under dynamic loading conditions.