An experimental and numerical model for wave propagation studies in sandy soils

In recent years, an ever increasing interest in reducing seismic risk is developing. Innovative solutions related to soil interventions are going to be studied. This paper shows the preliminary steps of the construction of an experimental apparatus, whose aim is the study of wave propagation in little scale through a sandy soil, in axisymmetric conditions. Single-Input-Multiple-Output impact hammer tests are performed in order to study the experimental response in both time and frequency domain. Alongside the experimental system, a 3D – FEM model able to reproduce the experimental tests is therefore proposed, for its calibration and in order to determine the problem unknowns with back analysis procedures. Results from the numerical modal and dynamics analyses show a great correspondence with the experimental data, confirming the goodness of the system.