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Projects

Low-Frequency Surface Wave Testing Methodology

Principal Investigator: Brent L. Rosenblad, University of Missouri-Columbia

Move the state of earthquake engineering knowledge and practice forward by meeting the following objectives:

1. Develop a low-frequency surface wave testing methodology for effective and efficient characterization of the stiffness structure of very deep sediments. The proposed study will advance the state-of-the-art of non-intrusive geotechnical site assessment by profiling to depths that were not previously attainable prior to the advent of the NEES program.
2. Non-intrusively characterize the unknown shear wave velocity (VS) structure of the deep Mississippi Embayment sediments at 8 to 12 sites in the New Madrid Seismic Zone. The data derived from this study will fill an existing gap in our knowledge of the stiffness structure of the Mississippi Embayment sediments.
3. Perform analytical studies of site response in the Mississippi Embayment using the newly developed deep shear wave velocity profiles. These studies, combined with recent complementary laboratory studies of non-linear soil behavior at high confining pressures, will advance our understanding of the influence of deep soil deposits on predicted ground motions.