• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.71-83
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• 2009

Shotcrete is an important primary support for tunnelling in rock. The quality control of shotcrete is a core issue in the safe construction and maintenance of tunnels. Although shotcrete may be applied well initially onto excavated rock surfaces, it is affected by blasting, rock deformation and shrinkage and can debond from the excavated surface, causing problems such as corrosion, buckling, fracturing and the creation of internal voids. This study suggests an effective non-destructive evaluation method of the tunnel shotcrete bonding state applied onto hard rocks using the impact-echo (IE) method and ground penetration radar (GPR). To verify previous numerical simulation results, experimental study carried out. Generally, the bonding state of shotcrete can be classified into void, debonded, and fully bonded. In the laboratory, three different bonding conditions were modeled. The signals obtained from the experimental IE tests were analyzed at the time domain, frequency domain, and time-frequency domain (i.e., the Short- Time Fourier transform). For all cases in the analyses, the experimental test results were in good agreement with the previous numerical simulation results, verifying this approach. Both the numerical and experimental results suggest that the bonding state of shotcrete can be evaluated through changes in the resonance frequency and geometric damping ratio in a frequency domain analysis, and through changes in the contour shape and correlation coefficient in a time-frequency analysis: as the bonding state worsens in hard rock condition, the autospectral density increases, the geometric damping ratio decreases, and the contour shape in the time-frequency domain has a long tail parallel to the time axis. The correlation coefficient can be effectively applied for a quantitative evaluation of bonding state of tunnel shotcrete. Finally, the bonding state of shotcrete can be successfully evaluated based on the process suggested in this study.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.19-26
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• 2023

Earthquakes are one of the most important disasters affecting underground structures. Urban gas underground pipes may cause safety problems of structures in the event of an earthquake. Since Korea began digital observation, the number of earthquakes has been steadily increasing. The seismic design standard for urban gas pipes was established in 2008, but it is difficult to estimate the impact of pipes in the event of an earthquake based on the installation of pipes. In this study, structural analysis was performed on PE (polyethylene pipe) pipes and PLP (polyethylene coated steel pipe) pipes, which are mainly used as buried pipes in Korea, according to environmental and pipe variables in the event of an earthquake. This study sought to find the variables of the most vulnerable buried pipe by modeling pipes through Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) and generating displacement on the ground. Through this study, it was confirmed that the larger the elastic modulus of the soil, the deeper the buried depth, the smaller the tube diameter, and the higher the pressure, the more PLP pipes are affected by earthquakes than PE. Based on these results, the vulnerable points of buried urban gas pipes are inferred and used for special inspections of buried pipes in the event of an earthquake.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.327-344
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• 2024

In general tunnel design and analysis, rock masses are often assumed to be isotropic. Under isotropic conditions, material properties are uniform in all directions, leading to a higher evaluation of tunnel stability. However, actual rock masses exhibit anisotropic characteristics due to discontinuities such as joints, bedding planes, and faults, which cause material properties to vary with direction. This anisotropy significantly affects the stress distribution during tunnel excavation, leading to non-uniform deformation and increased risk of damage. Therefore, thorough pre-analysis is essential. This study analyzes the displacement and stress changes occurring during tunnel excavation based on rock anisotropy. A three-dimensional numerical analysis was performed, selecting anisotropy index and dip angles as variables. The results showed that as the anisotropy index increased, the displacement in the tunnel increased, and stress concentration became more pronounced. The maximum displacement and shear stress were observed where the dip planes met the tunnel.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.5-12
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• 2012

Antibiotics have been considered emerging compounds due to their continuous input and persistence in environment. Due to the limited biodegradability and widespread use of these antibiotics, an incomplete removal is attained in conventional wastewater treatment plants and relative large quantities are released into the environment. In this study, it was determined the adsorption and photocatalysis kinetics of antibiotics (Sulfamethoxazole, SMX) with various catalyst (Titanium dioxide; $TiO_2$, Hydroxyapatite; HAP) conditions under UV/$TiO_2$/HAP system. In addition, the statistical analysis of response surface methods (RSM) was used to determine the effects of operating parameters on UV/$TiO_2$/HAP system. $TiO_2$/HAP adsorbent were found to follow the pseudo second order reaction in the adsorption. In the result of applied intrapaticle diffusion model, the constants of reaction rate were $TiO_2$=$0.064min^{-1}$, HAP=$0.2866min^{-1}$ and $TiO_2$/HAP=$0.3708min^{-1}$, respectively.The result of RSM, term of regression analysis in analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed significantly p-value (p<0.05) and high coefficients for determination values($R^2$=96.2%, $R^2_{Adj}$=89.3%) that allowed satisfactory prediction of second order regression model. And the estimated optimal conditions for Y(Sulfamethoxazole removal efficiency, %) were $x_1$(initial concentration of Sulfamethoxazole)=-0.7828, $x_2$(amount of catalyst)=0.9974 and $x_3$(reation time)=0.5738 by coded parameters, respectively. According to the result of intraparticle diffusion model and photocatalysis experiments, it was shown that the $TiO_2$/HAP was more effective system than conventional AOPs(advanced oxidation processes, UV/$TiO_2$ system).

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.63-68
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• 2014

In this study, it was found that determined the photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics (lincomycin, LM) with various catalyst composite of titanium dioxide ($TiO_2$), hydroxyapatite (HAP) and germanium (Ge) under UV-A irradiation. At first, various type of complex catalysts were investigated to compare the enhanced photocatalytic potential. It was observed that in order to obtain the removal efficiencies were $TiO_2/HAP/Ge$ > $TiO_2/Ge$ > $TiO_2/HAP$. The composition of $TiO_2/HAP/Ge$ using a statistical approach based on mixture analysis design, one of response surface method was investigated. The independent variables of $TiO_2$ ($X_1$), HAP ($X_2$) and Ge ($X_3$) which consisted of 6 condition in each variables was set up to determine the effects on LM ($Y_1$) and TOC ($Y_2$) degradation. Regression analysis on analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed significant p-value (p < 0.05) and high coefficients for determination value ($R^2$ of $Y_1=99.28%$ and $R^2$ of $Y_2=98.91%$). Contour plot and response curve showed that the effects of $TiO_2/HAP/Ge$ composition for LM degradation under UV-A irradiation. And the estimated optimal composition for TOC removal ($Y_2$) were $X_1=0.6913$, $X_2=0.2313$ and $X_3=0.0756$ by coded value. By comparison with actual applications, the experimental results were found to be in good agreement with the model's predictions, with mean results for LM and TOC removal of 99.2% and 49.3%, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.17 no.11
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• pp.5-14
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• 2016

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the removal properties of Cu from existing exfoliated vermiculite (EV) coated with a mixed solution of sulfuric acid and glycerol on the $580^{\circ}C$ in heating, which uses coated with glycerol of copper ions can be removed more effectively. Serial batch kinetic tests and batch sorption tests were conducted to determine the removal characteristics for Cu in aqueous solution. The result of batch kinetic test shows that removal rate, $K_{obs}$ (1/hr), of Cu are 0.579, 0.878, 3.459, and 6.578 for MEV weight 1 g (25 g/L), 2 g (50 g/L), 3 g (75 g/L), 4 g (100 g/L), respectively. In this case the initial pH of the solution was 3.26. The removal experiment according to the concentration, $K_{obs}$ (1/hr), of Cu are 1.96, 0.878, 1.25, and 1.04 for the initial concentration of 3 mg/L, 5 mg/L, 8 mg/L, 10 mg/L, and the initial pH of the solution are 3.46, 3.26, 3.10, 2.96, respectively. Influence of initial pHs on Cu removal were tested under 1g of MEV with 5 mg/L of Cu solution. $K_{obs}$ (1/hr) were increased from 0.263 (pH 3) to 0.525 (pH 5). It leads to the conclusion that the removal rates are inversely proportional to the initial Cu concentration and are increased proportional to the initial pHs. Sorption capacity of MEV was determined by batch sorption tests. The maximum sorption capacity ($Q_{max}$) obtained from Langmuir was 0.761 mg/g, Linear and Freundlich partition coefficients were 0.494 L/g and 0.729 L/g (1/n = 0.476). These results show that the MEV could be used as an excellent adsorbent for copper contained in various types of aqueous solutions.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.23-39
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• 2014

An artificial rainwater reservoir installed in urban areas for recycling rainwater is an eco-friendly facility for reducing storm water effluence. However, in order to recycle the rainwater directly, the artificial rainwater reservoir requires an auxiliary system that can remove non-point source pollutants included in the initial rainfall of urban area. Therefore, the conventional soil filtration technology is adopted to capture non-point source pollutants in an economical and efficient way in the purification system of artificial rainwater reservoirs. In order to satisfy such a demand, clogging characteristics of the sand filter layers with different grain-size distributions were studied with real non-point source pollutants. For this, a series of lab-scale chamber tests were conducted to make a prediction model for removal of non-point source pollutants, based on the clogging theory. The laboratory chamber experiments were carried out by permeating two types of artificially contaminated water through five different types of sand filter layers with different grain-size distributions. The two artificial contaminated waters were made by fine marine-clay particles and real non-point source pollutants collected from motorcar roads of Seoul, Korea. In the laboratory chamber experiments, the concentrations of the artificial contaminated water were measured in terms of TSS (Total Suspended Solids) and COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) and compared with each other to evaluate the performance of sand filter layers. In addition, the accumulated weight of pollutant particles clogged in the sand filter layers was estimated. This paper suggests a prediction model for removal of non-point source pollutants with theoretical consideration of the physical characteristics such as the grain-size distribution and composition, and change in the hydraulic conductivity and porosity of sand filter layers. The lumped parameter ${\theta}$ related with the clogging property was estimated by comparing the accumulated weight of pollutant particles obtained from the laboratory chamber experiments and calculated from the prediction model based on the clogging theory. It is found that the lumped parameter ${\theta}$ has a significant influence on the amount of the pollutant particles clogged in the pores of sand filter layers. In conclusion, according to the clogging prediction model, a double-sand-filter layer consisting of two separate layers: the upper sand-filter layer with the effective particle size of 1.49 mm and the lower sand-filter layer with the effective particle size of 0.93 mm, is proposed as the optimum system for removing non-point source pollutants in the field-sized artificial rainwater reservoir.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.5-16
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• 2018

In the current study, the engineering behaviour of prebored and precast steel pipe piles was examined from a series of full-scale field measurements by conducting static pile load tests, dynamic pile load tests (EOID and restrike tests) and Class-A and Class-C1 type numerical analysis. The study includes the pile load - settlement relations, allowable pile capacity and shear stress transfer mechanism. Compared to the allowable pile capacity obtained from the static pile load tests, the dynamic pile load tests and the numerical simulation showed surprisingly large variations. Overall among these the restrike tests displayed the best results, however the reliability of the predictions from the numerical analysis was lower than those estimated from the dynamic pile load tests. The allowable pile capacity obtained from the EOID tests and the restrike tests indicated 20.0%-181.0% (avg: 69.3%) and 48.2%-181.1% (avg: 92.1%) of the corresponding measured values from the static pile loading tests, respectively. Furthermore, the computed results from the Class-A type analysis showed the largest scatters (37.1%-210.5%, avg: 121.2%). In the EOID tests, a majority of the external load were carried by the end bearing pile capacity, however, similar skin friction and end bearing capacity in magnitude were mobilised in the restrike tests. The measured end bearing pile capacity from the restrike tests were smaller than was measured from the EOID tests. The present study has revealed that if the impact energy is not sufficient in a restrike test, the end bearing pile capacity most likely will be underestimated. The shear stresses computed from the numerical analysis deviated substantially from the measured pile force distributions. It can be concluded that the engineering behaviour of the pile is heavily affected if a slime layer exists near the pile tip, and that the smaller the stiffness of the slime and the thicker the slime, the greater the settlement of the pile.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.115-123
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• 1990

The purpose of this study was to examine the uses of coal ash as a type of construction material. The methods of examination were chemical anlysis, soil laboratory test and the soil vibration test. Materials used were coal ash obtained as a by-product from 5 thermal power plants in Yongdong, Yongwol, Sochon(anthracite coal) and in Samchonpo and Honam (bituminous coal). Over 70% of the coal ash consisted of silica and alumina. The fly ash grain size showed a uniform distribution from fine-sand to silt, and that of the bottom ash showed from sand to gravel. The specific gravity and density of the coal ash were low. The long term strength increased gradually due to the self-setting property resulting from pozzolanic activity. The shear strength was higher than that of general soil. Cohesion and optimum moisture content of anthracite coal ash were higher than bituminous coal ash, whereas the maximum dry density was higher in bituminous coal ash. The coal ash dynamic Young's modulous curve range was similar to that of general soil. Of the results from the soil vibration test by car-running, the size relative acceleration level in the ash pond was higher than that of natural ground, but the damping ratio was lower than that of natural ground near the ash pond. The coal ash has more advantageous engineering properties than general soil with particles of the same size. For example, the California Bearing Ratio of the bottom ash at both Yongdong and Yongwol was 77~137%. Therefore we expect that if further study is done, coal ash can be used as a construction material when reclaiming seashore, construction embankments, road construction, making right-weight aggregate, or as a general construction material.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.5-15
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• 2013

In this paper, the unsaturated slope stability analysis considering suction stress (Lu and Godt, 2008) was introduced and the results applied for a certain sand slope were analyzed. The unsaturated slope stability analysis considering suction stress can analyze both conditions of steady infiltration and no infiltration, and it can estimate the safety factor of slope as a function of soil depth. Also, the influence of weathering phenomenon at a certain depth from the ground surface can be considered. The stability analysis considering suction stress was applied to the unsaturated infinite slope composed of sand with the relative density of 60%. The suction stress under no infiltration condition was affected by ground water table until a certain influencing depth. However, the suction stress under steady infiltration condition was affected by seepage throughout the soils. Especially, the maximum suction stress was displayed around ground surface. The factor of safety in the infinite slope under no infiltration condition rapidly increased and decreased within the influence zone of ground water table. As a result of slope stability analysis, the factor of safety is less than 1 at the depth of 2.4 m below the ground surface. It means that the probability of slope failure is too high within the range of depths. The factor of safety under steady infiltration condition is greater than that under no infiltration condition due to the change of suction stress induced by seepage. As the steady infiltration rate of precipitation was getting closer to the saturated hydraulic conductivity, the factor of safety decreased. In case of the steady infiltration rate of precipitation with $-1.8{\times}10^{-3}cm/s$, the factor of safety is less than 1 at the depths between 0.2 m and 3 m below the ground surface. It means that the probability of slope failure is too high within the range of depths, and type of slope failure is likely to be shallow landslides.