Development of a real-time shear wave velocity testing system for centrifuge model tests

Shear wave velocity is a fundamental parameter for evaluating soil stiffness and seismic response. In centrifuge shaking table tests, time scales are greatly compressed, making it difficult to monitor the evolution of shear wave velocity during shaking by using conventional oscilloscope-based systems. This paper developed a real-time, high-resolution shear wave velocity testing system by using a centrifuge data acquisition module and proposed a novel algorithm for automatically determining the travel time between transmitter and receiver of bender elements. A centrifuge model test of saturated sandy ground demonstrated the capability of the system to capture the rapid recovery of shear wave velocity after shaking, offering a new tool for real-time monitoring of soil stiffness during seismic events. Finally, based on the tests results, the concept of seismic resilience of ground is proposed.