InterPACIFIC project: Comparison of invasive and non invasive methods for seismic site characterization. Part I: Intra comparison of surface wave methods
The main scope of the InterPACIFIC (Intercomparison of methods for site parameter and velocity profile characterization) project is to assess the reliability of in hole and surface wave methods, used for estimating shear wave velocity. Three test sites with different subsurface conditions were chosen: a soft soil, a stiff soil and a rock outcrop. This paper reports the surface wave methods results. Specifically 14 teams of expert users analysed the same experimental surface wave datasets, consisting of both passive and active data. Each team adopted their own strategy to retrieve the dispersion curve and the shear wave velocity profile at each site. Despite different approaches, the dispersion curves are quite in agreement with each other. Conversely, the shear wave velocity profiles show a certain variability that increases in correspondence of major stratigraphic interfaces. This larger variability is mainly due to non uniqueness of the solution and lateral variability. As expected, the observed variability in VS,30 estimates is small, as solution non uniqueness plays a limited role.