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Use of Shear Wave Velocity for Foundation Design

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Abstract

This paper describes an approach for utilizing in-situ measurements of shear wave velocity Vs to carry out preliminary and check design calculations for shallow and deep foundations. For estimates of foundation movements, Vs can be used directly to estimate the small-strain stiffness of the soil or rock strata, while for ultimate capacity calculations, use is made of empirical correlations between Vs and penetration resistance measures, which in turn are correlated to the foundation resistance characteristics. The approach is applied to a series of published tests on shallow footings, and on a series of pile load tests for a very tall building. For these cases, comparisons of the calculated with the measured load—settlement behaviour indicates that the suggested approach provides a reasonable, albeit somewhat conservative, level of agreement.

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Acknowledgements

The author gratefully acknowledges the support of Tetra Tech Coffey in compiling this paper, and the constructive comments of his colleagues, Simon Stewart, Ross Best and Patrick Wong.

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  1. Tetra Tech Coffey, Sydney, Australia

    Harry G. Poulos

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  1. Harry G. Poulos
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Correspondence to Harry G. Poulos.

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Poulos, H.G. Use of Shear Wave Velocity for Foundation Design. Geotech Geol Eng 40, 1921–1938 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-021-02000-w

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