Practical use of shear wave velocity measurements in UK clays (BGA Touring Lecture 2023)

This paper seeks to promotes use of shear wave velocity (V_s) measurements in UK clays as a complement to more standard ground investigation techniques. V_s measurements seem repeatable and independent of the method of measurement used in isotropic soil conditions, e.g. soft clays. However in glacial tills, and especially in the overconsolidated clays of south-east UK, V_s measurements will differ depending on the direction of propagation and polarisation of the shear waves due to natural stress anisotropy and the fissured nature of the materials. Correlations between V_s and other in situ data and with a variety of soil properties can be very powerful and some have been proposed here for UK clays. However these correlations should ideally be local and only applied to other soils and areas with great caution. Other uses of the techniques, beyond those of classical dynamic analyses, have been described together with some future challenges. Uncertainties in the methods have been well researched and several methods have been proposed to deal with these uncertainties. Nonetheless advice from a geophysical colleague will enhance the geotechnical engineers’ use of V_s data.