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Title: The use of seismic tomograms for the identification of internal problems with earthen dams and levees

Author
item WODAJOL, LETI - University Of Mississippi
item HICKEY, CRAIG - University Of Mississippi
item Hanson, Gregory
item SONG, CHUNG - University Of Mississippi

Submitted to: Workshop Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/1/2011
Publication Date: 10/8/2011
Citation: Wodajol, L.T., Hickey, C.J., Hanson, G.J., Song, C.R. 2011. The use of seismic tomograms for the identification of internal problems with earthen dams and levees. Proceedings of the 9th Meeting of the MidSouth Chapter of the Acoustical Society of America, October 7-8, 2011, Conway, AR. p. 4.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: According to the National Inventory of dams (NID, 2009), out of the 84,134 dams in the US, more than 87% (73,423) are earthen dams. The majority of these earthen dams are past or approaching their design life expectancy of 50 years. According to the National committee on Levee Safety (NCLS, 2009), there are an estimated 122,000 miles (0.196M meters) of levees currently in use in the US. These levees protect cities and other infrastructures from fluctuating water levels of rivers and oceans. These infrastructures are therefore a vital part of a nation's infrastructure and require regular monitoring and rehabilitation programs to function properly. This study examines the use of a non-invasive geophysical seismic method known as seismic refraction, multi-channel analysis of surface waves (MASW) and shear wave surveys to provide additional information where the usual visual inspection is not sufficient and the common boring investigation is not an option. These methods are used to identify erosion, seepage, and piping through the body of the dam and levee. Results from different surveys will show the distribution of seismic velocities in an earthen dam and how tomography images from different surveys are used to identify known dam structures as well as the presence of problematic areas due to erosion, seepage, and piping.