ISSN: 1945-7545
CODEN: GTJODJ
Published Online: 17 November 2003
Page Count: 11

Design Criteria for Geotomographic Field Studies

Fernandez, A
Senior Geotechnical Engineer, GEOCONSULT Inc., San Juan, PR

Santamarina, JC
Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA

(Received 14 February 2002; accepted 5 November 2002)

Abstract

The tomographic inversion of boundary measurements permits determining the spatial distribution of a material property within a soil mass. The most common geotomographic setup for wave-based measurements (mechanical or electromagnetic) consists of two arrays of transducers, one with sources and the other with receivers. The separation between the arrays and the number of sources and receivers have to be determined for every new field condition in order to satisfy resolution requirements in view of physical processes and mathematical constraints. The adequate design of a geotomographic study maximizes the amount of information gathered in the field, renders the maximum possible resolution within the physical constrains associated with field conditions and the available instruments, and prevents unnecessary measurement duplication.

Keywords:
tomography, nondestructive testing, geophysics, cross-hole, seismic, imaging, in situ testing, inversion, least squares, small strain

Paper ID: GTJ11258J
DOI: 10.1520/GTJ11258J
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