Laser-Doppler Vibrometer measurements of acoustic-to-seismic coupling in unconsolidated soils

Measurements of acoustic-to-seismic coupling ratio, i.e. the ratio of the pressure exerted by an acoustic wave at a point on the surface to the acoustic particle velocity generated at the surface at that point, may be used to determine both elastic and structural properties of poroelastic materials. The sound pressure is measured using a microphone and, usually, the velocities are measured using geophones. Problems with geophone sensors have been shown to include both mass loading of the soil and coupling resonances within the frequency range of interest. The latter can lead to inaccurate amplitude and phase measurements. In an attempt to overcome these problems, the use of a Laser-Doppler vibrometer (LDV) has been investigated. Previous work with compacted plane soil surfaces has been extended to loosely consolidated soils. Good agreement has been found between geophone and LDV measurements of vertical particle velocity for a continuous wave sound source. Problems with poor LDV signal-to-noise ratio in unconsolidated materials have been overcome using local ground treatment. Subsequent modelling shows reasonable agreement between the data and the predicted values of material properties.