An Empirical Relationship for Determining Shear Wave Velocity in Granular Materials Accounting for Grain Morphology

It is well recognized that shear wave velocity in the soil mainly depends on its type, state of compaction, and the confining stress. However, the influence of other geometrical parameters of soil particles (such as size, shape, roundness, and sphericity) on the shear wave velocity has not received much attention of the earlier researchers. It must be noted that these parameters primarily control the delegation of the applied normal stress in the soil and hence would directly influence the magnitude of shear wave velocity in it. With this in view, investigations were conducted to determine shear wave velocity in different types of granular materials (sands, glass beads, and cenospheres) by employing bender elements. Details of the methodology adopted for this purpose are presented in this paper. Experimental data have been used to develop an empirical correlation predicting shear wave velocity in granular materials by inputting their mean grain size and shape, and the confining stress, under dry and saturated states. The utility and efficiency of these relationships has also been demonstrated.