MICROTREMOR MEASUREMENT USING SMARTPHONE

AS A SENSOR WITH HVSR METHOD

(HORIZONTAL-TO-VERTICAL SPECTRAL RATIO)
La Ode Marzujriban, Harjumi,Bambang Harimei
Geophysics Program Studi , Hasanuddin University
JL.Perintis Kemerdekaan 10 90245, Makassar, Indonesia

Abstract
Have performed experiments using HVSR method utilizing smartphone sensors to determine the natural
frequencies and amplification in determining the vulnerability index of an area around Hasanuddin University
Campus. HVSR method is very useful in conducting microzonation building damage due to earthquakes and other
shock factors by processing recorded data using Geopsy software by generating curve H / V. From the experimental
results found land value natural frequency (fo) that is 0.905 Hz, amplification (Am) 0.946, and soil vulnerability
index (Kg) 0.988 so it can be concluded trial areas classified as areas that do not damage the buildings due to
earthquakes or other shocks because it has the maximum value of amplification is less than one that associate with
low soil vulnerability values.
Keywords: HVSR method, dominant frequency, amplification, soil Vulnerability.

I. INTRODUCTION
A. Physicsal Parameter
Land is defined as a material consisting of
aggregate (granular) solid minerals that are
chemically bound to each other with the empty
spaces between the grains are filled by liquids
and gases. Land has some characteristics that are
divided into three groups including the physical
properties, chemical properties and biological
properties. The physical properties of the soil is
often associated with the mechanical properties
of the soil, especially soil vulnerability index
somewhere. Daryono et al. [1] states that an area
that has a low natural frequency characteristics,
are particularly vulnerable to the dangers of an
earthquake wave vibration long period. It can
threaten damage to existing buildings on it.
Superficial soft soils may cause amplification
at a site. Modifications of incoming earthquake
wave characteristics result when these pass
through soil deposits. Site effects are therefore
dependent on the medium itself and on the
stratum boundary depths. As well as strata
properties, amplification may also result from
* Corresponding Author.Tel: +62-85240807339
E-mail: imaniban@gmail.com

topographic effects due to irregular surface

geometry which focuses any incoming seismic
energy at certain points leading to amplification
(Bouchon,1996)[2]. Often sites involve both
irregular
geometry
and
heterogeneous
mechanical properties, still amplification
resulting from topographic effects is less than
that resulting from heterogeneous soil properties
(Chvez-Garca, 2007)[3]. Amplification is
highly variable, even within a distance of a few
metres, therefore caution is required when using
HVSR as a seismic hazard tool for any site (Wald
and Mori, 2000).
Acording to Bakornas [4] Natural phenomena
of earthquakes until now could not be predicted
and the exact time it happened. Earthquake
danger can not be avoided but its impact can be
reduced
through
assessment
activities
characteristic earthquakes in a region that will be
applied in the selection of methods and policies
for disaster risk management. Residential areas
adjacent to the source of the earthquake is an
earthquake-prone area so, therefore it is
necessary strategic steps to protect the public and
disaster mitigation measures are an attempt to
reduce or minimize the impact of loss or damage
that may be caused by a disaster.

Adopted from MEV Journal at www.mevjournal.com 2012 RCEPM - LIPI All rights reserved

Authors/ Mechatronics, Electrical Power, and Vehicular TechnologyXX (20XX) XX-XX

According to Wikantiyoso [] the effect of

earthquake primarly even secondary influence by
several factors :
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Magnitude
Location
Depth of the Source
Geological Setting
Human Anticipating
Quality of Construction
Prepareness of Human

component. Nakamura method is a common

method used to determine the seismic
amplification factor in topsoil relative to the
vibration in the bedrock. As well as being
advantageous due to its fast deployment,
Nakamuras technique is one of the cheapest
available ways to study site effects by making
use of ambient seismic noise. The ground is
never at rest being constantly exposed to sources
of rapid deformational energy which in turn
excite seismic waves (Lay and Wallace, 1995)[6].

B. HVSR (Horizontal to Vertical Spectral

Ratio) Method
HVSR (Horizontal to Vertical Spectral Ratio)
technique has been applied in many research to
do a study about effect of local and
microzonation [Warnana D,] and it very related to
predict the dangerous of earthquake disaster by
measure the vibration between the building and
the surface on it[Gosar]. When the frequency of
the building is going to be similar with the
frequnce of the ground, it would increase the
stress of the building

Ambient noise was previously regarded as a

nuisance in seismograph design, but since then
further studies have been conducted resulting in
an improved understanding of the noise
phenomenon and new applications for
microtremors and different techniques making
use of noise recordings, have been found
(Bonnefoy-Claudet et al., 2006)[7] , and
according to Tokimatsu, microtremor is vibration
that caused by natural or artificial activity that
can visualized the geological concition an area
that near to the surface.

This method is a very cheap method that

require not a big of device [beroya] And this
method can be done in either the place that the
disaster has been occur or not [irjan].

B. Microtremor
Microtremor actually based on ambient niose
recording to determine characteristic of dinamic
value (dumping frequency and natural
frequency). Mikrotremor surveys required to
obtain a recording of ambient ground vibrations.
The ratio of horizontal to vertical spectrum can
then be used to determine the predominant
frequency / resonance (f0) and the seismic
amplification factor (H / V).

This technique widely used for microzoning

and engineering purposes proposed by Nakamura
(1989). The H/V spectral ratio [TH/V()] was
obtained by dividing the average spectra of the
horizontal component of sediment site [ s NS ( )
s EW ()] by the spectrum of the vertical component
[Sv()] of the sediment site . This method also
can show about how the the change of Surface
soil layer Vulnerability level when earthquake
Occur [Hadi]

II. METHODOLOGY
A. Method
The method that use in order to complete this
studies was Nakamura [5] technique which is
alternatively known as the HVSR method. The
method consists of first recording several minutes
of 3-component ambient noise vibrations, and
performing a Fourier transform on each

Authors/ Mechatronics, Electrical Power, and Vehicular TechnologyXX (20XX) XX-XX

acceleration in the direction of North - South,

West - East and the vertical direction (up - down).
Figure 1. Flow of HVSR data Processing to get
Dominant frequency (fo)

C. Device Sensitivity
The sensitivity of device is also need to be
measured to know how sensitive the device that
we use. Ryan et al.[8] research show that the five
devices were used to collect instantaneous
accelerations as same as used for this research,
recorded by the SWAY Software in a steady state.
Repeated measures were recorded in both screenup and screen-down positions with the device
laying flat and angled to 60-degrees. In the flat
position, screen-up and screen-down mean
accelerations were -1.0074g (+0.0202g) and

0.9966g (+0.0189g) respectively with

a
sensitivity of 0.0165g (+0.0086g). In the 60degree position, screen-up and screen-down
mean accelerations were -0.5094g (+0.0198g)
and 0.4929g (+0.0207g) respectively with a
sensitivity of 0.0190g (+0.0065g). These devices
demonstrated consistent sensitivity values across
multiple devices as demonstrated by low
coefficients of variability.
The experiment was conducted using a
smartphone sensors to detect the changes of

Figure 2. The data which extracted from smartphone

As we know the data that has been collected is

cantain the noise and based on literature of
University of Malta [4] ammbient noise includes
all noise types, both of artificial and natural
origin, generated near the surface. Surface layers
are therefore exposed to tremors resulting from
both natural sources such as sea waves, tides and
atmospheric pressure changes, as well as due to
anthropogenic or cultural sources such as
vehicles, industrial machinery and construction
work. Natural noise and cultural noise are known
as microseisms and microtremors respectively,
where the former usually consists of long-period
waves of periods longer than 2 seconds, also
being referred to long-period microtremors
whilst the latter usually denotes high frequency
signals of short periods such as those caused by
traffic, or functioning machinery. Noise
generated at frequencies around 1Hz, is usually
due to wind effects and the local meteorological
conditions. Microtremors are usually assumed to
only affect the uppermost sedimentary layers
whilst microseisms affect layers deeper down

(Atakan, 2007). The ambient noise wave field is

temporally and spatially variable, as well as
being non-uniform at all frequencies. Islands
such as Malta are constantly exposed to wave
surf and oceanic standing waves and are therefore
noisier than land sites distant from any coast. As

Authors/ Mechatronics, Electrical Power, and Vehicular TechnologyXX (20XX) XX-XX

well as hourly variations, the noise wave field

exhibits daily and seasonal changes too both as a
result of human-induced variations in the case of
microtremors and atmospheric variations such as
changing atmospheric patterns in the case of
microseisms.
The data obtained was processed using
Microsoft Excel.Then the data must be processed
using notepad by make the database by add
several code to make new format of file name
SAF (Sesame ASCII format) which can be read
when using the software Geopsy. Furthermore,
the data that has been modified in SAF format
Geopsy processed using the software by
performing windowing to determine the signal to
be processed with a predetermined criteria as for
the Processing tab is used as a smoothing process
data were processed using Omachi Konno-type
filters with constant coefficients by 40 and the
horizontal components of his chosen squared
average which is the default data processing
using software Geopsy.

Figure 3. Data formatting to SAF format

D. SESAME ASCII Format

The SESAME ASCII file is organized in 3-columns that
correspond to 3 output channels of a single sensor. The first
column refers to the vertical component the second and
third to the horizontal ones which are supposed to be
deployed at 90 degrees between each other.
The first section of the SESAME ASCII includes an header
containing some mandatory and optional parameters. Each
parameter, only one in a row, is specified by means of a
keyword followed by = and then by the value of the
parameter itself. (i.e. : ndat = 1234).

Figure 4. Data has been Loaded to Geopsy

The data which has been loaded (figure 3) show

the wave were tight in three component that will
continue to windowwing process.

Figure 5. Windowing process

At the time of processing using GEOPSY

software, data is divided into several windows
(Figure 5). If the data is large enough sorting
window is automatically provided by the
software. Windowing is the process to sort data
between the tremor signals and transient event
(especially specific sources such as footsteps and
vehicle passes). The function of this process is to
avoid the processing of transient events in the
analysis. Comparison between the short term
average (STA) and long term average (LTA) and
also using anti triggering logarithm is the way to
detect transient signals. STA is the average value
of short-term amplitude (0.5-2.0 seconds) and
LTA is an amplitude value of the average longterm (> 10 seconds). When comparison result
from STA / LTA exceeds a predetermined
threshold, then it can be referred to as

"event"[5].

Authors/ Mechatronics, Electrical Power, and Vehicular TechnologyXX (20XX) XX-XX

After windowing process has been completed,

it continued to H/V analysis to show the graphic
of H/V that contain dominant frequency and
maximum amplitude so we can calculate the soil
vulnerability.

III. RESULT
The result of windowing process can be seen
in picture bellow :
Figure 6. Result of Windowing Process

Then from the data processing using the H / V we

will get the value of the natural frequency and the
amplification. In figure result black line shows
the average firm of colored curve is the black line
breaking - breaking lines indicate standard
deviation and gray - gray is the peak frequency
and the standard deviation.
From the data that has been processed found the
following values,
fo = 0.905 Hz
Am = 0.946
Therefore, by using the above data can be
calculated Kg (soil vulnerability) = 0.988

IV. CONCLUSION
Based on the results of experiments
conducted, it was found that the location of the
placement tool has value 0,905Hz dominant
frequency with a maximum amplitude reaches
0.946 while the value of 0.988 Kg. This indicates
that the calculation is based on experiments that
are not classified as areas prone to damage
buildings because amplifikasinya <1 are
associated with low soil susceptibility values.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
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