A Mechanical Plane Wave Seismic Source

A Mechanical Plane Wave Seismic Source For Near Surface Experiments By: Mohammad Fahad Akbar and Dr. Phil Bording Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences Department of Earth Sciences Seismic sources for near surface wave propagation studies use mechanical devices such as a drop weight or sledge hammer. These sources typically provide an impulse at one position and then are moved to a new location and the process is repeated. Here a parallel set of electromechanical systems will be used to generate seismic waves. These waves are detected by sensors in a data acquisition system. The design consists of Solenoids attached to Microcontrollers and using Digital to Analog converter to control the actuator energy levels. These solenoids will have a source frequency/energy which can be changed. The impact of the solenoid on the ground and the time between each strike will determine the frequency of the generated wave. Microcontroller under consideration is an ATMEL part. The linear assembly of source solenoids can generate seismic plane waves by using a variable time delay, and improve the efficiency of the data collection process.