Shear-plate transducers as a possible alternative to bender elements for measuring G_(max)

摘要

This note presented a detailed description of the manufacturing process of shear-plate transducers as an alternative to bender elements. This type of transducer is deemed advantageous over bender elements in terms of durability and convenience for use. Experimental comparison between the two types of transducer showed superiority of the shear plate, except in the case of soft clay, for which the bender performs better. A clear example showing the advantage of the shear plate over the bender element has been presented by Ismail et al. (2005) in a true triaxial apparatus. In this application, the shear-plate transducer was used externally to the sample, with the ability to be rotated to polarise the movement of soil particles in different directions.