High frequency compressional wave speed and attenuation measurements in water-saturated granular media with unimodal and bimodal grain size distributions.

Compressional wave speed and attenuation were measured for water-saturated granular media employing five kinds of glass beads having unimodal and bimodal grain size distributions. Glass beads with grain sizes ranging from 250 to 850  μm were used for the acoustic measurements at a frequency range from 350 kHz to 1.1 MHz, which includes the transition range where scattering and non-scattering losses co-exist. The compressional wave speed and attenuation data are presented as a function of frequency and grain size distribution. The compressional wave speed and attenuation data show a variety of frequency dependencies for varying grain size distribution. The observed acoustic properties are investigated for the volume ratio of larger and smaller sized grains in the mixed bimodal media. Also, the measured results are compared with the empirical multiple scattering formula as a function of Rayleigh parameter  kd (product of wavenumber in the water k and mean grain diameter of the glass beads d) using weighted mean grain size. The measured results are also discussed, focusing on the geophysical difference between unimodal and bimodal mixed grains.