A PROCEDURE TO CALIBRATE AND PERFORM THE BENDER ELEMENT TEST

The bender element (BE) test method is used in a laboratory to obtain the shear wave velocity of soils. Despite its apparent simplicity, there is still no standard for this test. A number of factors affect the reliability of the results. These factors are taken into account to design and build a BE system in a triaxial cell. A method for calibrating the system is proposed, using aluminum rods of different lengths. Recommendations are made regarding the selection of the frequency of the pulse used to produce the perturbation for carrying out the test. Finally, a series of tests carried out on two kinds of sand specimens are presented.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: CAMACHO-TAUTA,JAVIER, JIMÉNEZ ÁLVAREZ,JUAN DAVID, REYES-ORTIZ,OSCAR JAVER
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Universidad Nacional de Colombia 2012
Online Access:http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0012-73532012000600002
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Summary:The bender element (BE) test method is used in a laboratory to obtain the shear wave velocity of soils. Despite its apparent simplicity, there is still no standard for this test. A number of factors affect the reliability of the results. These factors are taken into account to design and build a BE system in a triaxial cell. A method for calibrating the system is proposed, using aluminum rods of different lengths. Recommendations are made regarding the selection of the frequency of the pulse used to produce the perturbation for carrying out the test. Finally, a series of tests carried out on two kinds of sand specimens are presented.