Effects of Site Classification on Empirical Correlation between Shear Wave Velocity and Standard Penetration Resistance for Soils

In seismic engineering, the dynamic property of the soil is one of the most important aspects in ground response analysis. Dynamic property is significantly affected by local soil deposits. Shear wave velocity (Vs) of soil is one of the main parameters in determining the amplification factor on ground surface. It is not economically feasible to measure Vs for all sites. Therefore, a reliable empirical correlation between Vs and standard penetration resistance (Nspt) will be useful since Nspt data are easily obtainable in construction industry. This study aims to develop an empirical correlation between Vs and Nspt for all soils by considering the effect of site classification according to the Uniform Building Code. New empirical correlations for all soils are presented in this study and well compared with the previous study to evaluate prediction capability. Results show that site classification has a significant impact on the Vs estimation, and that the proposed correlations are the most appropriate for estimating the Vs profile in the studied area compared with existing correlations.