Measurement of shear-wave velocity using phase-sensitive detection techniques

The development of a phase-sensitive technique to measure the velocity of shear waves propagating through a sand sample situated inside a standard laboratory triaxial testing cell is reported. The technique shows an improvement in convenience and efficiency over conventional time-of-flight methods, facilitating real-time display of shear-wave velocity during testing. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the technique by determining the variation in shear-wave velocity during triaxial testing of a loose sand.