• Geotechnical Engineering
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.59-70
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• 1996

The EPS has the unit weight of only 20~30kg/m3 and is used as one of the methods of reducing road embankment loads. Parts of it's applications are for backfill materials of structures like abutment, retaining wall, etc., to reduce horizontal earth pressure and for banking materials to secure the safety of settlement and bearing capacity by minimizing the stress Increment. However, the Korean Standards (KS) has not yet proposed any testing method for use of EPS as a engineering banking material. Only its testing and quality ordinance as a heat insulation material has been standardized. Therefore, in Korea, EPS is used as banking material without any systematic testing data as a civil engineering material. In this point of view, this paper deals with the engineering characteristics of EPS through many laboratory tests on strength, strain, absorption, and creep. from the results achived through tests, this paper proposes the enactment of a suitable quality testing ordinance and the criteria of unconfined design strength of EPS for use as engineering material.