Performance Analysis of a Novel Seismic Data Acquisition System to Measure Peak Particle Velocity and Source Distance

Abstract This paper presents a performance analysis of a novel development of multistations seismic data acquisition system called MSTGS. This system involves 4.5 Hz triaxial geophone sensors — Vertical (Z), East-West (E), and North-South (N) — and a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) for monitoring peak particle velocity (PPV) in the ground and estimating the distance of a vibration source. The experiment was conducted by employing an active artificial vibration source at a certain location by assuming a homogeneous medium with the specific p-s waves velocity (0.2471 m/s). The distance of the vibration source was varying up to 15 meters, and each test was repeated three times. This data acquisition system has already been compared to the commercial high-end 5 Hz geophone instrument. Since this research only analyses parameters in the time domain, therefore neglecting the frequency domain. PPV was determined by the sum vector of peak amplitude in each component. Meanwhile, the distance between source and receiver was calculated by subtracting p-wave and s-wave first break arrival time. Results showed a PPV measurement accuracy of 94.88% at Station 1 and 95.2% at Station 2, with increased accuracy using the Multi-Station Triaxial Geophone of 97.24%. The accuracy in measuring the distance of the vibration source was 98.59%. Sensors at each station were able to measure PPV values with delay times of 71 ms (Z sensor), 83 ms (E sensor), and 67 ms (N sensor), which met the ITU-T standards. The data indicated a correlation between the vibration source distance and PPV values, with a correlation coefficient (R 2 ) of 0.8535 at Station 1 and 0.8213 at Station 2. These findings validate the novel developed instrument’s capability, offering a reliable alternative to existing commercial solutions. This research contributes to the field of geophysical engineering by providing a cost-effective and accurate method for monitoring ground vibrations, which is crucial for various applications including seismic studies and infrastructure monitoring.