Multivariate Statistical and Correlation Analysis between Acoustic and Geotechnical Variables in Soil Compression Tests Monitored by the Acoustic Emission Technique

Abstract

In this research, a series of compression tests were carried out, under oedometric conditions, on sand samples prepared with different moisture contents. In these tests, in addition to the usual measurements of the stress and deformation of the sample, a series of acoustic emission sensors were used to monitor the parameters of the acoustic signals coming from inside the sample. This is a rather novel technique with great potential, but sometimes difficult to approach due to the large amount of acoustic emission data generated. In this paper, a correlation and regression analysis has been performed to quantify the correlations between the geotechnical variables and the parameters characterizing the acoustic emissions. The results presented open an interesting horizon of possibilities since, as it has been shown, it is possible to determine the values of the geotechnical properties from the acoustic variables, by means of the regression functions obtained for each type of soil or for each practical case. At the very least, this is a complementary tool in the determination of the mechanical properties of soils subjected to compression, although it could also be useful in those situations in which the monitoring of geotechnical variables describing the tenso-deformational behavior of the soil may be difficult or impossible.

Keywords

• civil engineering mathematics
• multivariate statistical analysis
• geotechnical variables
• acoustic emissions parameters
• Pearson’s correlation coefficient
• regression functions