Achievement

Interdisciplinary collaboration has been instrumental in the progress in developing a multi-layer poroelastic finite element model to characterize wave propagation response in saturated soils for application in underwater compaction projects for IGERT trainees, Nathan Toohey (geotechnical engineer) and Bernadette Kenneally (mechanical engineer). This model will also be capable of capturing the dynamic vibration behavior of the mechanical device used to perform compaction. This modeling effort is being used to evaluate a rich quantity of field data, pertaining to both the compacted soil layer and the mechanical vibration device. The field data was acquired during pre-construction field testing of a real-time monitoring system for underwater compaction, associated with the Venice Lagoon Restoration project. Ultimately, the results of modeling and field data comparisons will be the subject of a peer reviewed journal paper.