Vibratory Plate Loading of Compacted and Instrumented Field Soil Beds
Mooney, MA
Division of Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO

Bouton, CO
ABF Ingenierie, Vaulx-En-Velin, France

(Received 8 December 2003; accepted 28 September 2004)

Abstract
Field scale studies of foundation and plate vibrations, particularly in the nonlinear domain, are vital to improving understanding and validating analytical and numerical efforts. This paper describes the development of an experimental program to investigate the dynamic signature of a rigid plate and of the soil during surface plate vibration of compacted soil beds. Nineteen testing sequences were performed on 1.2-m deep prepared soil test beds embedded with miniature triaxial accelerometers. Various vibratory loading frequencies (10–60 Hz) and amplitudes (up to 220 kPa contact stress) were applied via a 0.45-m-diameter plate to the prepared test beds. The paper describes the load testing frame, the preparation of free field partially-saturated sand test beds, and the placement of triaxial accelerometers within the soil. Plate and soil acceleration profiles are presented for the range of applied forcing frequency and amplitude levels involved. The nonlinear soil-compactor system response is analyzed and presented in both the time and frequency domains to present key features observed during testing.

Keywords:
foundation vibration, nonlinear soil response, soil, soil acceleration, soil compaction, soil test beds

Paper ID: GTJ12448
DOI: 10.1520/GTJ12448

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Author Mooney, MA Affiliation Division of Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO Author Bouton, CO Affiliation ABF Ingenierie, Vaulx-En-Velin, France Author Mooney MA, Bouton CO Title Vibratory Plate Loading of Compacted and Instrumented Field Soil Beds Symposium , Committee on