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The results of axial stress-strain measurements made from short columnar samples of seafloor shallow surface sediment in the southern South China Sea area indicate that there are three kinds of variations in the longitudinal wave sound velocity, which are related to such characteristics as physical-mechanical properties, grain contact status and grain structure and microstructure of the submarine shallow surface sediment. This study may make theoretical contributions to further understanding the reliability of various submarine sediments in the southern South China Sea as bearing interfaces and such scientific objectives as phonotelemetering and remote sensing of the engineering mechanical properties of seafloor sediment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analytical results of sound velocity and spectrum for seafloor sediment ore obtained by VWA (velocity-wave-amplitude) discrimination technique. Based on velocity-wave-amplitude, an understanding is gained of the physical condition and structural characteristics of seafloor sediment, which is combined with other geological information of the sedimentary layer to synthetically discriminate the properties of seafloor sediment. Experimental results show that, by using the relationship between sound velocity, wave form envelope, amplitude shape and size, and such parameters as sedimentary structure, microstructure, bedding, grain composition, mineral composition, and physical-mechanics, etc., the basic properties of the shallow surface seafloor sediment in the experimental sea area can be discriminated and the burial depth of traces of ancient marine transgression and regression events in the borehole cores of seafloor sediment can be divided, thus making an attempt of and contribution to the practice of acoustically remote-sensing and telemetering seafloor sediment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using physical (acoustical engineering mechanics and scanning electron microscope) and other technical methods, is study makes a comprehensive analysis of the structural characteristics and engineering mechanics properties of sediments, the sediment structure, microstructure and their classification characteristics and in the light of the physical-mechanical characteristic parameters, the relations between the grain contact, grain accumulation, and porosity with the physical-mechanical characteristics of sediment, and reports the relationship between the acoustic physical parameters and the stress-strain properties of sediment. Results show that there are six structural types in the shelf seabed sediment of the northern South China Sea, among which, the mixed contact structural type sediment has a higher compressive strength and a higher sound velocity than others, and that in the shallow seabed there exists a mesoscale structure with high and low velocity layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article preliminarily reports and analyses the transmission characteristics and behaviors of shear wave in the offshore seafloor surface sediments in China, discusses the relationships between the physical and mechanical features of the shear wave and the compression wave, and compares the testing results with that of Hamilton and Chen et al. The result shows that the shear wave can be tested if the seafloor surface sediment has tangent modulus. The shear wave velocity ranges from 50–600 m/s and the measuring frequency from 50–200 kHz. The sound velocity rate of shear wave and compression wave can be used to appraise the stress-strain feature of seafloor surface sediments. This study provides a basis for further describing and appraising the seafloor sedimentary acoustic-mechanical feature and building a geological-acoustic model on China's offshore sea area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sound velocity in each type of seafloor sediment from the South China Sea varies with the development of strain in the controlled stress-strain course. Experiments show that there may exist three cases for the maximum sound velocity: (1) it appears at the stress peak; (2) it appears in the phase of no load; and (3) it appears at the end of the strain course. These results are related to physical-mechanical properties and structure of sediments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]