Site characterization by Seismic Dilatometer (SDMT) in the area of L'Aquila following the April 6, 2009 earthquake

This paper comments on the results obtained by a large number of Seismic Dilatometer Tests (SDMT) executed in the area of L’Aquila (Italy) following the April 6, 2009 earthquake. SDMT soundings were executed by the normal penetration procedure only in a limited number of sites, mostly in silt. At the majority of the sites, in coarse-grained non-penetrable soils, VS measurements by SDMT— but not the other DMT parameters—were obtained in backfilled boreholes, using the technique briefly described in the paper. The test results illustrated in the paper include: (a) SDMT results obtained by the normal penetration procedure, (b) VS-only profiles obtained by the backfilling procedure, (c) comparisons of VS profiles obtained by SDMT and by other techniques (Down-Hole, Cross-Hole, surface waves tests), and (d) comparisons of profiles of VS measured by SDMT and estimated from mechanical DMT data.