Evaluation of the lateral earth pressure coefficients at-rest in granular soil deposits using the anisotropic components of S-wave velocity

Abstract Determination of the lateral earth pressure coefficients at-rest ( K 0 ) in natural soil deposits is an important issue in geotechnical and geological engineering. In this study, evaluation of this parameter in a granular soil deposit was examined by using two anisotropic components of the S-wave velocity (SV and SH-wave components). To this end, thirteen pairs of P- and S-wave seismic refraction profiles were acquired at two different granular sites in Iran. The collected shot gathers were processed, from which the SV and SH-wave velocities were derived. The SV-wave velocities were obtained by using the Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) method while the SH-wave velocities were extracted by utilizing the Multichannel Analysis of Love Waves (MALW) technique. The reference K 0 values in the soil deposits were calculated by the Mayne and Kulhawy's formula based on the friction angles ( φ ′ ) and overconsolidation ratios ( OCR ) determined from laboratory tests. The curves of the reference K 0 values versus the SH/SV velocity ratios at both sites strongly confirmed the feasibility of K 0 evaluation from the velocity components. To develop a global equation for K 0 evaluation in granular soil deposits, a general regression analysis was conducted on the obtained data from this study combined with those reported in the literature. The results showed that reliable values of K 0 can be estimated using the SH/SV velocity ratios. The findings of this study may appropriately serve as references for economic and non-invasive in-situ K 0 identification in granular soil deposits using the surface wave methods.