A High Resolution Distributed Moisture Sensing System for Direct Measurement of Earthquake Induced Void Redistribution

该奖项的研究目标是了解和量化地震引起的土壤空隙再分布，这是层状地面液化的主要触发机制。场地是一个先进的引导电磁波传感器，可以实时监测空洞的重新分布。通过测量饱和砂土含水量分布，实现高时空分辨率的遥感能力。在跨学科的视角下，研究活动包括了解电磁波与颗粒材料（即土壤）的相互作用，整合最先进的电子技术，设计和筛选功能涂层材料。传感器的性能将在模拟地震最佳层中进行评估。这个项目将导致一个传感系统，可以量化空隙再分配的程度，这是地震期间土壤液化的主要触发机制。这将大大扩展我们目前对分层地面液化的了解，并有助于提高基础设施对地震的恢复能力。这一跨学科的研究将推动传感器的设计、制造和系统集成；电磁波在色散物质（如土壤）中的正散射和反演散射分析以及可用于各种地面液化基础和应用研究的仪器。该项目将为研究生和本科生提供在土壤液化方面进行跨学科教育的机会。将通过凯斯西储大学和当地学区之间的各种合作项目向K-12学生推广。

The research objective of this award is to understand and quantify earthquake-induced void redistribution in soils, a major liquefaction triggering mechanism in stratified ground. The venue is an advanced guided electromagnetic wave sensor that monitors the void redistribution in the real time. The sensing capability will be achieved by measuring the water content distribution in saturated sand with high spatial and temporal resolution. The research activities, under a strong interdisciplinary perspective, involve understanding the interactions of electromagnetic wave with particulate materials (that is, soils), integration of state-of-the-art electronics, design and screening of functional coating materials. Sensor performance will be evaluated in simulated earthquake bestbeds.This project will lead to a sensing system that can quantify the extent of void redistribution, a primary soil liquefaction triggering mechanism during earthquakes. This will significantly expand our current knowledge on liquefaction in layered ground and help improve the infrastructure resiliency to earthquakes. This interdisciplinary research will advance sensor design, fabrication and system integration; direct and inversion scattering analyses of electromagnetic wave in dispersive materials (such as soils); and instrumentation that can be used in a variety of fundamental and applied research on ground liquefaction. The project will give graduate and undergraduate students the opportunity to pursue interdisciplinary education in soil liquifaction. Outreach to K-12 students will be conducted through various partnership programs between Case Western Reserve University and local school districts.