• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.11-20
• /
• 2009

This study, as basic research which was intended to develope the surface reinforcement method using reinforcement material which is applicable to very soft ground in Korea, was aimed at proposing the design parameter for the surface ground improvement method. To that end, a wide width tensile test using geotextile, geogrid and steel bar (substitute for bamboo) and 21 kinds of the laboratory model tests with the end restraint conditions of the reinforcement that comprises the constrained and partially constrained (3 types) conditions were conducted. Moreover, a new procedure was proposed to take into account the effect of the stiffness of Reinforce materials on bearing capacity theory of Surface Reinforcement Method for Soft Ground.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.67-78
• /
• 2012

A three-dimensional approximate computer-based method, YSPR (Yonsei Piled Raft), was developed for analysis of behavior of piled raft foundations. The raft was modeled as a flat shell element having 6 degrees of freedom at each node and the pile was modeled as a beam-column element. The behaviors of pile head and soil were controlled by using $6{\times}6$ stiffness matrix. To model the non-linear behavior, the soil-structure interaction between soil and pile was modeled by using nonlinear load-transfer curves (t-z, q-z and p-y curves). Comparison with previous model and FEM analysis showed that YSPR gave similar load-displacement behaviors. Comparison with field measurement also indicated that YSPR gave a reasonable result. It was concluded that YSPR could be effectively used in analysis and design of piled raft foundations.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
• /
• v.9 no.3
• /
• pp.29-34
• /
• 2008

A large diameter sampler was developed to take undisturbed samples from not only soft ground but also sandy and weathered ground. The large diameter sampler which was developed in Korea Institute of Construction Technology(KICT-type large diameter sampler) was manufactured based on the principle of triple core barrel sampling. A specially designed cutting device was used to cut and contain various kinds of samples in the sampler during a sampling and retrieval procedure. By adjusting the stiffness of the spring located at the top of the sampler, the distance between the cutting shoe and auger can be controlled in accordance with the ground condition. In order to investigate the applicability of the developed sampler and compare the quality of the samples taken by the sampler with that by the traditional thin-walled tube sampler, samples were taken at various sites according to the ground condition. And a series of laboratory tests such as the unconfined compress ion test, triaxial compression test, oedometer test, large diameter Rowe cell consolidation test (D: 150 mm) were performed. The test results showed that the samples by the KICT-type large diameter sampler show higher quality than the samples by the thin-walled tube sampler. And the validity and applicability of the developed KICT-type large diameter sampler was confirmed accordingly.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.21 no.5
• /
• pp.215-223
• /
• 2005

Piezo-ceramics are special materials which transform energy from mechanical to electrical forms and vice versa. Bender elements are composite materials consisting of thin piezo-ceramics and elastic shims, and are widely used as actuators and transducers in the field of electronics, robotics, autos and mechatronics utilizing the effectiveness of energy transformation capability. In geotechnical engineering, commercial bender elements are used in laboratory as source and receiver in the measurements of soil stiffness. The elements were built by using various metal shims sandwiched between piezo-ceramics and coating over the composite in the research. A pair of elements were buried in a concrete block and used as source and receiver to measure the stiffness of the concrete. The test results were verified by comparing with the resonant column testing results. In a preliminary stage of the development of an in-situ seismic testing equipment using bender elements for soft clay materials, shear waves were generated and measured by burying the elements in the barrel of kaolinite and water mixture. The measured shear wave signals were so distinct for the first-arrival pick that applicability of the elements in the field measurements could be very promising.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.21-29
• /
• 2009

On plane strain condition, many researchers have investigated the earth pressure according to the shape of wall, and standardized method has been applied to the design of the retaining wall. But on cylindrical diaphragm wall, at-rest earth pressure has been generally used. Even though this method is on conservative side, it may lead to over-design. In this paper, the application of convergence confinement method to the calculation of the earth pressure acting on the cylindrical diaphragm wall of a shaft was suggested. In addition, a model test was carried out to investigate the distributions of earth pressure. Model test results show that the earth pressures of diaphragm wall are about 1.4 times larger than active earth pressure and about 0.8 times less than at-rest earth pressure.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.20 no.7
• /
• pp.119-126
• /
• 2004

A small-scale reinforced earth wall was constructed in a laboratory to investigate the effect of wall rigidity and of construction sequence on the wall. A full continuous wall facing and a discrete wall facing were designed and constructed for tests. These two different facing systems should adapt different construction procedures due to their different facing shapes. The model wall was built with geo-grid reinforcement, sand, and facings on rigid surface. The model wall was instrumented with earth pressure gages, LVDTs, and strain gages. The experimental results have shown differences in wall behavior related to construction sequence and types of wall facing. It is found in this study that the reinforced earth wall built with full continuous facing is safer than the reinforced earth wall built with the discrete wall facing.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.5-12
• /
• 2013

The critical velocity effect on railway trackbed means the amplification of vibration energy when the train running-speed and group velocity of ground surface wave are superimposed. It is called a pseudo-resonance phenomenon of time domain. In the past, it was not issued because the train speed was low and the ground group velocity was higher. But since the high-speed train is introduced, critical velocity reported causing a track irregularity. So far, theoretical analysis has been performed because of the complexity of formation process. However it requires reasonable consideration which is similar to actual track and trackbed conditions. In the present paper, finite element analysis to verify the critical velocity effect is performed considering each track structure and trackbed supporting stiffness. As a result, the deformation amplification caused by the critical velocity effect is verified to analyze each supporting stiffness and track system.

• Geotechnical Engineering
• /
• v.8 no.4
• /
• pp.31-40
• /
• 1992

The arch of an ancient stone arch bridge consists of blocky stone blocks. For the purpose of estimation of load carrying capacity of a stone bridge, the mechanically frail discontinuities between stone blocks should be taken account of. Since the current way of analysis regards the stone arch as a continuous member, the characteristic of discontinuties is not considered. In this paper, an ancient stone arch bridge is analyzed and load carrying capacity is estimated by Finite Element Method with the discontinuties between blocks being modelled as interface elements. From the result of the study, it is shown that the load carrying capacity of a stone arch bridge is dependent of friction angle and shear stiffness between arch blocks rather than compressive strength of arch block itself and the stone arch bridge of granite is more influenced by shear stiffness than friction angle. The load carrying capacity of HONG bridge of HEUNG GUK temple analyzed in this paper is estimated as that of a third grade bridge.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.22 no.5
• /
• pp.47-57
• /
• 2006

The shear wave velocity is related with the stiffness of granular skeleton and mass density. The shear stiffness of the granular skeleton remains unaffected by the presence of the fluid. Bender elements are convenient shear wave transducers for instrumenting soil cells due to optimal soil-transducer coupling. This study addresses the principles of the shear wave, the design and implementation of bender elements including electromagnetic coupling prevention, directivity, resonant frequency, detection of first arrival, and near field effects. It is shown that electromagnetic coupling effects can be minimized using parallel-type bender elements. Thus, the in-plane S-wave directivity is quasi-circular. The resonant frequency of bender element installations depends on the geometry of the bender element, the anchor efficiency and the soil stiffness. One of the most cumbersome parts in the bender element test is near field effects, which affect the selection of arrival time. The selection of the first arrival within the near field Is effectively solved by the multiple reflection technique and signal matching technique. Bender elements, which requires several considerations, may be effective tools for the subsurface characterization by using S-wave.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.26 no.12
• /
• pp.51-60
• /
• 2010

Earth pressure due to gravity generally increases linearly with the depth, but the distribution of earth pressure due to surface load depends on the loading condition, the ground condition, and the boundary condition. In this study, the earth pressure on a rigid wall due to the vertical surface load was measured in experiments. Rigid wall was built in the model test box, and it was filled with homogeneous sandy ground (width 30 cm, height 88 cm, length 110 cm). Rigid wall was composed of 8 segments, which were tested on the two load cells. In the tests, we observed the distribution of the earth pressure on the rigid wall depending on the vertical surface load and it's location. According to the test results, the lateral earth pressure due to the vertical surface load showed its maximum value at a constant depth and decreased with the depth, to the negligible value at the critical depth. The critical depth and the depth at which lateral earth pressure reaches its maximum were not decided by the magnitude of the vertical surface load. They were dependant on the distance from the rigid wall.