Evaluation of key geotechnical parameters (OCR, K₀) using seismic SH- and SV-wave cross-hole data

Seismic shear waves primarily provide information on the shear stiffness and elastic properties of the soil, rather than directly indicating the soil stress history and the state of over-consolidation. However, depending on the different static stress states of a soil, SH- and SV-waves have individual site specific velocities and can be used to evaluate the dimensions of over-consolidation and at rest lateral stress conditions. A cross-hole experiment was carried out to measure the paired shear wave velocity profiles (SH and SV) which allows the determination of geotechnical parameters using the empirical relationships reported by Ku and Mayne, 2013 and 2014. The results show that the direct and accurate in-situ determination of OCR and K0 using SH and SV waves provides a valuable tool to evaluate the dimension of these geotechnical parameters but is limited to some extent. Careful interpretation and correlation to other geotechnical test data (lab testing) is required.