• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.15-22
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• 2016

Hydraulic falling head and slug tests were carried out in an alluvium aquifer using a borehole stability device. The hydraulic testing had proved difficult in alluvial formations of sands and gravels due to borehole collapse and unstable borehole walls within the test section. This study aims to improve the hydraulic test results by using a borehole stability device. The device can minimize the collapse of borehole walls, and the use of a filter with a constant opening ratio improves the calculations per unit area of the test section. Permeability obtained from the falling head test without a borehole stability device was 8.82 × 10⁻⁵m/sec. When the borehole stability device was installed in the same test section the measured permeability increased to 4.00 × 10⁻⁴m/sec, which is 4.5 times that obtained without the borehole device. The relatively low permeability obtained using the conventional test method is attributed to the presence of a fine-grained slime generated during drilling and a reduction of the test area in the test interval due to a gradual collapse of the borehole walls. This study considers how the use of a borehole stability device to prevent borehole collapse can influence the results of hydraulic tests in alluvial formations. It is expected that the results can be used as a basis for improving the reliability and applicability of hydraulic tests performed in alluvial aquifers.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.15-24
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• 2015

This paper presents the results of a reduced-scale physical model investigation into the effect of drilling fluid with different mix designs for bore hole collapse prevention. The bore hole collapse prevention mechanism for the bentonite based drilling fluid was first discussed together with the effect of conditioning with different additives on engineering characteristics of bentonite based drilling fluid. Reduced-scale model tests were then carried out considering field procedures for cases with a decomposed granitic soil with 20% fines and a sand with various drilling fluids with different mix designs. The results indicated that the addition of polymer to the bentonite based drilling fluid decreases the amount of drilling fluid injected, the drilling fluid infiltration thickness and increases the final depth of excavation. Also revealed is that the effect of polymer on the performance of drilling fluid is more pronounced in the decomposed granite soil with 20% fines than the sand. Practical implications of the findings from this study are discussed in great detail.