• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.108-113
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• 2006

Urban conditions, such as existing underground facilities and ambient noise due to cultural activity, restrict the general application of conventional geophysical techniques. At a tunnelling site in an urban area along an existing railroad, we used the refraction microtremor (REMI) technique (Louie, 2001) as an alternative way to get geotechnical information. The REMI method uses ambient noise recorded by standard refraction equipment and a linear geophone array to derive a shear-wave velocity profile. In the inversion procedure, the Rayleigh wave dispersion curve is picked from a wavefield transformation, and iteratively modelled to get the S-wave velocity structure. The REMI survey was carried out along the line of the planned railway tunnel. At this site vibrations from trains and cars provided strong seismic sources that allowed REMI to be very effective. The objective of the survey was to evaluate the rock mass rating (RMR), using shear-wave velocity information from REMI. First, the relation between uniaxial compressive strength, which is a component of the RMR, and shear-wave velocity from laboratory tests was studied to learn whether shear-wave velocity and RMR are closely related. Then Suspension PS (SPS) logging was performed in selected boreholes along the profile, in order to draw out the quantitative relation between the shear-wave velocity from SPS logging and the RMR determined from inspection of core from the same boreholes. In these tests, shear-wave velocity showed fairly good correlation with RMR. A good relation between shear-wave velocity from REMI and RMR could be obtained, so it is possible to estimate the RMR of the entire profile for use in design of the underground tunnel.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.273-283
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• 2003

Fissured rock and soft ground always suggest, problems in the construction of the underground space. The stress release of the weak underground material by opening the underground space with a soft ground, fissures and joints can lead to the failure of the opening. Grouting of the weak rock and the soft ground, which is a process of injecting some bonding agents into the soft ground, is one of the measures to reinforce the soft ground and to prohibit the failure of the underground construction due to the stress release. The proper installation of the grouting is essential to ensuring the safety of the tunneling operation, so that the evaluation of the grouting performance is very significant. The general procedure of evaluating the grouting is coring the grouted section and measuring the compression strength of the core. However, sometimes when the grouted section is at the crown of the tunnel and the grouting is installed at a wide section, the coring is not good enough. This study is oriented to propose a new and a non-destructive procedure of evaluating the grouting performance. The proposed method is based on the wave propagation of elastic waves, and evaluates the shear stiffness of the ground and investigates the anomalies such as voids and cracks. The SASW ( Spectral-Analysis-of-Surface-Waves) method is one of the candidate s to make the inspection of the pouting performance, and is adopted in this study. The practical grouting activity was monitored by SASW method, and the proposed method was applied to the inspection of the grouting performance to check the verification of the proposed method.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.29 no.12
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• pp.5-10
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• 2013

Bearing capacity of a drilled shaft can be separated into side resistance and base resistance. But in domestic design procedure side resistance is usually underestimated compared with base resistance. Results of bi-directional test showed that measured side resistances in each different layers are larger than those evaluated from several suggested methods. In this study, measured side resistances in each different layer of drilled shafts installed in domestic sites are analyzed and compared with evaluated side resistances from the method using revised SPT N value. For weathered rock and soft rock layer, from which rock core can hardly be obtained, we suggested new evaluated methods using revised SPT N value instead of the method using uniaxial compressive strength of rock. Resuts showed that the ranges of side resistance of cohesive and non-cohesive layer are $f_s{\leq}5tf/m^2$ and $f_s{\leq}15tf/m^2$ respectively. Range of side resistance in weathered rock is $15tf/m^2$ < $f_s{\leq}50tf/m^2$ and that in soft rock $f_s{\geq}35tf/m^2$.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.106-112
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• 2017

This paper presents a mathematical model derived from the upper-bound theorem of concrete plasticity to rationally evaluate the shear friction strength of concrete interfaces with a construction joint. The upper limit of the shear friction strength was formulated from the limit state of concrete crushing failure on the strut-and-tie action along the construction joints to avoid overestimating the shear transfer capacity of a transverse reinforcement with a high clamping force. The present model approach proposed that the cohesion and coefficient of friction of concrete can be set to be $0.27(f_{ck})^{0.65}$ and 0.95, respectively, for rough construction joints and $0.11(f_{ck})^{0.65}$ and 0.64, respectively, for smooth ones, where $f_{ck}$ is the compressive strength of concrete. From the comparisons with 155 data compiled from the available literature, the proposed model gave lower values of standard deviation and coefficient of variation of the ratios between predictions and experiments than AASHTO and fib 2010 equations, indicating that the proposed model has consistent trends with test results, unlike the significant underestimation results of such code equations in evaluating the shear friction strength.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.85-91
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• 2010

As enormous construction projects of land development are carried out around Korea, useful construction materials are needed to perform the construction projects. However, there are no more enough of fill and reclamation materials in our country. That is why the coal ash is expected to be utilized as an alternative material. Since the coal ash has the characteristics of a pozzolan and a selfhardening material, it is adjudged that coal ash has a great possibility to be used as a fill and reclamation material. In this study, grain size analysis, Atterberg limit test, and specific gravity test were performed to examine the physical characteristics of the coal ash about a self-hardening material before utilizing the coal ash in the construction. Compaction test, unconfined compression test, direct shear test, and flexible wall permeability test were conducted to investigate the engineering characteristics according to mixture ratios of fly ash and bottom ash. As a result of the tests, it was confirmed that the mixing ratio 1:1 of fly ash and bottom ash is the most effective to use as a fill and reclamation material. If the mixture of coal ash is used as a backfill material with light weight around structure, it is expected to play a significant role in reducing earth pressure on the back of the structure. As the age of the mixture of coal ash goes by, it intends to decrease the coefficient of permeability. As described above, the coal ash should be considered as an alternative material of fill and reclamation materials since the result of the tests indicates that the coal ash is suitable to a useful material on the construction design.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.94-103
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• 2018

The purpose of designing composite lattice structure which applied to launching vehicle and tactical missile body is to minimize the thickness and weight for applied load. It is usually made of carbon fiber; fabricating with filament winding process over silicon mold, and provided with a window opening for inspection purpose if necessary. In this paper compression test is conducted without window opening in lattice structure and preliminary FEA is carried out to confirm its accuracy. And then FEA is performed for the case of window opening to evaluate the soundness and the safety factor of the structure. We have calculated for two kinds of window shape; rectangular one and hexagonal one. And we have calculated safety factors of the lattice structure with window opening in every case based on failure strength of rib and knot with varying the thickness and location of the window for hexagonal shape. Through our investigation, we have found out the followings; (1) the hexagonal shaped window is shown higher safety factor than rectangular one, (2) a window in a certain location is shown higher safety factor than others, (3) although the soundness of window structure is improved as increasing its thickness, a window of a certain thickness is shown higher safety factor than others because of stress concentration.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.381-393
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• 2021

Physical, mechanical, hydraulic, and geophysical tests were applied to validate methods of inspecting the effectiveness of grouting on an agricultural reservoir dam. Data obtained from series of in situ and laboratory tests considered four stages: before grouting; during grouting; immediately after grouting; and after aging the grouting for 28 days. The results of SPT and triaxial tests, including the unit weight, compressive strength, friction angle, cohesion, and N-value, indicated the extent of ground improvement with respect to grout injection. However, they sometimes contained errors caused by ground heterogeneity. Hydraulic conductivity obtained from in situ variable head permeability testing is most suitable for identifying the effectiveness of grouting because the impermeability of the ground increased immediately after grouting. Electric resistivity surveying is useful for finding a saturated zone and a seepage pathway, and multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) is suitable for analyzing the effectiveness of grouting, as elastic velocity increases distinctly after grouting injection. MASW also allows calculation from the P- and S- wave velocities of dynamic properties (e.g., dynamic elastic modulus and dynamic Poisson's ratio), which can be used in the seismic design of dam structures.

• Journal of Appropriate Technology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.115-125
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• 2020

Housing issues such as mushrooming slums remain as chronic in most developing countries. Due to the state's restrained capacity, the housing-vulnerable's self-help approaches have been increasingly inevitable and vital for addressing the housing issues. However, there are still two challenges: securing good quality with economic efficiency, and climate change mitigation and adaptation. This study aims at doing an architectural experiment by developing and educating the production of eco-friendly interlocking stabilized soil bricks (ISSB) by employing vernacular materials and technologies for housing-vulnerable communities in Indonesia. In collaboration with a local architectural NGO, the study features a co-creation workshop in which 40 evicted households participate in the whole process. Soil analysis, mixed design, compression tests, and economic analysis are carried out. This paper illustrates that ISSB also has a high potential as an alternative to a burned brick or a cement block. The application of ISSB to self-help housing is expected to have socioeconomic and environmental effects, thereby facilitating the housing-vulnerable's self-help approaches and contributing to addressing the housing challenges in Indonesia.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.73-83
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• 2006

The behaviour characteristics of Granular Compaction Pile (GCP) are mainly governed by the lateral confining pressure mobilized in the soft soil matrix to restrain the bulging failure of the granular compaction pile. The GCP method is most effective in soft soil with undrained shear strength ranging $15{\sim}50kPa$. However, the efficiency of this method reduces the more compressible soil conditions, which does not provide sufficient lateral confinement. In the present study, the GCP method reinforced with uniformly graded permeable concrete is suggested for the extension of application to the soft ground. Also, large triaxial compression tests are conducted on composite-reinforced soil samples for verification of availability of the suggested method and the settlement estimation method of the reinforced GCP is proposed. Furthermore, for the verification of the proposed method, predicted settlements by the proposed method are compared with results of 3-dimensional numerical analyses. In addition, parametric studies are performed together with detailed analyses of relevant design parameters.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.599-609
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• 2023

In the seismic retrofitting of harbor breakwaters in Korea, the recovery rate is often uncertain due to site conditions and site conditions, and problems continue to arise. Therefore, in this study, we analyzed the recovery rate and compressive strength of the improved material through drilling survey by grouting confirmation method after applying low-fluidity mortar injection method, and furthermore, we checked the elastic modulus by downhole test and tomography to confirm the reinforcement effect of soft ground after ground improvement. The experimental results showed that the average shear wave velocity of the ground increased from 229 m/s to 288 m/s in BH-1 and BH-3 boreholes to a depth of 28.0 m, and the average shear wave velocity of the ground to a depth of 30.0 m tended to increase from 224 m/s to 282 m/s in the downhole test. This is believed to be a result of the increased stiffness of the ground after reinforcement. The results of the tomographic survey showed that the Vs of the soft ground of the sample at Site 1 increased from 113 m/s to 214 m/s, and the Vs of the sample at Site 2 increased from 120 m/s to 224 m/s. This shows that the stiffness of the ground after seismic reinforcement is reinforced with hard soil, as the Vs value satisfies 180 m/s to 360 m/s in the classification of rock quality according to shear wave velocity.