Wave Reflection Effects on Bender Element Test of Very Stiff Clay

Journal article, 2023

A common source of error in bender element testing lies in the determination of the shear wave arrival time arising from the near-field effect, which is attributed to shear wave-like motion of the compression wave obscuring the arrival of the shear waves, and can be mitigated by using a sufficiently high travel-distance-to-wavelength (L/λ) ratio. However, the L/λ ratio also is relevant for signal interference due to side reflections, and its role in this important mechanism is far less understood. Stiff materials such as cement-treated soils, which have a very short shear wave travel time, are likely to exacerbate these errors. This paper examined the causes of travel time errors in cement-treated soil using bender element tests of standard-sized triaxial specimens, large block samples, and three-dimensional finite-element analyses. The results show that the reflection of shear waves from sample boundaries generates a second pulse in the received signal, resulting in signal distortion. This can be ameliorated at sufficiently high L/λ ratios. The reflection of the compressional waves generates spurious prearrivals and distorts the profile of the direct shear wave even at high L/λ ratios. Shear and compressional wave reflections can be mitigated by increasing the specimen diameter to decouple the latter from the direct shear wave arrival.