EngineeringCivil EngineeringSoil MechanicsStructural EngineeringVibrationMaterial TestingMechanical CharacterizationSoil TestingVibration TestingFree Vibration ResponseRandom NoiseRandom Vibration TestingResonance TestingSoil ResonanceTest Data ReductionViscoelastic Beam Theory
The resonant column method of testing soils is reviewed. Recent developments in equipment, specimen configurations, and testing schemes are presented. Some equipment can perform both resonance and quasi-static tests on the same specimen. Hollow specimen tests are becoming more commonplace, especially in research. In addition to steady-state sinusoidal forcing functions, free vibration tests and random noise vibration tests are being used. The validity of using linear viscoelastic theory as a model for data reduction is supported. A new solution that accounts more rigorously for boundary conditions is presented. It shows that both inertia and stiffness must be considered. Specific criteria for fixed-ended conditions are established.