Assessing and Improving the Quality of Dispersion Images Using the MASW Technique for Ground Exploration
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 24, Issue 1
Abstract
An approach has been proposed to assess the quality of the dispersion plot extracted from the dispersion image obtained based on the multichannel analysis of the surface waves (MASW) technique. The variation of the quality factor Q associated with a given mode has been presented as a function of frequency. A sensitivity analysis has also been performed to determine the influence of different input parameters on the quality factor. The phase-shift wavefield transformation method was used for generating the dispersion image(s). Dispersion images were obtained by generating synthetic signals as well as by performing field tests at three different sites with the help of 48 geophones. An attempt has been made to examine the effects of: (1) the stacking/padding of data in the time domain; (2) the number of geophones; (3) spacing between the receivers; and (4) the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) on the dispersion images for the purpose of ground exploration for a target depth of approximately 30 m. It is observed that a good quality dispersion image in the lower frequency range (<10 Hz) can be obtained by increasing the receiver spread length using a large spacing interval (2–5 m) between receivers, increasing the SNR of the signal, and the stacking of the data in the time domain. However, the usage of a smaller spacing (approximately 1 m) between receivers still becomes essential in overcoming the presence of any spurious (dummy) dispersion mode(s) at higher frequencies. Greater numbers of sensors, 96 or even more, are recommended to examine more accurately the dispersion images to detect the presence of any complex mode(s) while obtaining the nonregular dispersive ground profile. It is observed that Q becomes quite sensitive to changes in the spacing and number of geophones especially in the lower frequency region (around 10–15 Hz).
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Data Availability Statement
The data and codes used in this manuscript are made available for free usage. The codes/scripts code_ss.m, code_di.m, and code_qf.m are written in MATLAB-R2021a. These three codes are used for obtaining: (1) synthetic signal; (2) dispersion image; and (3) the quality factor of the dispersion image associated with a given mode, respectively. The size of all the codes lies between 2 and 4 KB. All the codes have been provided with necessary self-explanatory comments, sample data, sample results, and the instruction guide. These codes are open-source and are available on request from the authors. Two files README.txt and Instruction_Guide.txt provide the necessary descriptions about the codes.
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International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 24 • Issue 1 • January 2024
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© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Jun 11, 2022
Accepted: Jul 7, 2023
Published online: Oct 26, 2023
Published in print: Jan 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Mar 26, 2024
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