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Copyright of Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The seismic attenuation in concrete has seldom been studied, although it is an important parameter for survey design. In this paper, the seismic Q factor is estimated from data measured at the Carillon dam. Three methods were used for this study: amplitude decay yielding a value of 5.1 ± 1.6, spectral ratio giving a value of 8.3 ± 3.5, and a value of 7.5 ± 14.9 was obtained from the rise-time technique. These values are weak compared with what is generally observed in rocks, and slightly lower than values obtained on laboratory concrete samples. However, the average P wave velocity measured on the investigated area is 4081 ± 95 m·s[sup –1] , an indication of the good quality of the material. Consequently, this strong attenuation could be attributed on one hand to energy loss, and on the other hand to scattering caused by the intrinsic cement–aggregate composition of concrete. It is also possible that an inadequate sensor coupling had the effect of reducing the observed Q value. Key words: seismic attenuation, concrete dams, microseismic monitoring, coupling.Paramètre important pour la planification de levés sismiques, l'atténuation sismique a été peu étudiée dans les bétons. Dans cet article, le facteur de qualité sismique Q est évalué au barrage de Carillon selon les méthodes du rapport des amplitudes, du rapport des spectres d'amplitude et du temps de montée. Les mesures obtenues sont respectivement de 5,1 ± 1,6, de 8,3 ± 3,5 et de 7,5 ± 14,9. Ces valeurs sont faibles en regard de ce qui est généralement observé dans les roches, et légèrement plus faibles que des valeurs mesurées sur des bétons en laboratoire. Par ailleurs, le béton de la partie du barrage auscultée présente une vitesse d'onde P moyenne de 4081 ± 95 m·s[sup –1] , indiquant une bonne qualité du matériau. En conséquence, la forte atténuation pourrait être attribuable d'une part à la perte de l'énergie sismique sous forme de friction, et d'autre part à une atténuation de diffusion occasionnée par la composition ciment-granulat intrinsèque du béton. Il est également possible qu'un couplage inadéquat des capteurs ait pour effet de réduire la valeur observée de Q. Mots clés : atténuation sismique, barrages en béton, auscultation microsismique, couplage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)