Evaluating Compaction Quality during Earth Dam Construction Using Multi-Channel Analysis of Surface Wave

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the overall compaction quality of earth dam under construction using multi-channel analysis of surface wave (MASW) method. The earth-filled dam is called Hushan Dam where is located in central Taiwan. The dam consists of a primary dam, an auxiliary dam, and a south dam. The shell and core materials were obtained from the dam site. The high plasticity clay for the core, filter, and riprap materials, were borrowed from outside the site. The earthwork was performed with large-sized heavy equipment. Compaction quality of backfills was checked with in situ sand cone test layer by layer. The in situ MASW seismic method was conducted at two elevations to determine shear wave velocity profiles for evaluating the overall compaction quality during construction. Three shear wave velocity profiles, including upper shell, core, and lower shell zones, were measured for the three dams. The results show that the effectiveness of surface wave for the evaluation of compaction performance and demonstrate the promising potential of this technique in thick compaction.