• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.217-235
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• 2017

The stability prediction of shallow buried tunnels is one of the most difficult tasks in civil engineering. The aim of this work is to predict the state of collapse in shallow tunnel in layered soils by employing non-associated flow rule and nonlinear failure criterion within the framework of upper bound theorem. Particular emphasis is first given to consider the effects of dilation on the collapse mechanism of shallow tunnel. Furthermore, the seepage forces and surface settlement are considered to analyze the influence of different dilation coefficients on the collapse shape. Two different curve functions which describe two different soil layers are obtained by virtual work equations under the variational principle. The distinct characteristics of falling blocks up and down the water level are discussed in the present work. According to the numerical results, the potential collapse range decreases with the increase of the dilation coefficient. In layered soils, both of the single layer's dilation coefficient and two layers' dilation coefficients increase, the range of the potential collapse block reduces.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.157-161
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• 2010

Forest soils are often nitrogen-limited, and nitrogen input to forest soils can cause substantial changes in the structure and functions of a soil ecosystem. To determine the effects of nitrogen input on methane oxidation and the microbial enzyme activities, manipulation experiments were conducted using nitrogen addition to soil samples from Mt. Jumbong. Our findings suggested that the addition of nitrogen to the soil system of Mt. Jumbong did not affect the microbial enzyme activities. Conversely, the addition of nitrogen affected the rate of methane oxidation. Inorganic nitrogen in soils can inhibit methane oxidation via several mechanisms, such as substrate competition, toxic effects, and competition with other microbes, but the inhibitory effects are not always the same. In this research, seasonal changes were found to produce different inhibitory factors, and these different responses may be caused from differences in the methantrophic bacteria community structure.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.20-26
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• 2016

DTPA (Diethelene-triamine pentaacetic acid) extractable micronutrients of surface soil samples from six different locations of Cox's Bazar and Chittagong districts were studied. All the soils under study were sufficient in DTPA extractable Fe, Mn and Cu contents. The available Zn contents in soils of Dulhazara, Chengchhari and Faissakhali under study were also above the critical limit while soils at Fulchhari, Hasnabad and CU were deficient in available Zn. The study also showed that DTPA extractable Fe content had the significant and positive relationships with clay and soil organic carbon. On the hand, negative and significant relationship was observed between extractable Mn and soil pH while DTPA extractable Zn and Cu were positively and significantly correlated with soil organic carbon of the studied area.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.249-267
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• 2023

Various methods for determining the damping ratio have been proposed by scholars both domestically and abroad. However, no comparative analysis of different determination methods has been seen yet. In this study, typical sand (Fujian standard sand) and cohesive soils were selected as experimental objects, and undrained strain-controlled dynamic triaxial tests were conducted. The differences between existing damping ratio determination methods were theoretically compared and analyzed. The results showed that the hysteresis curve of cohesive soils had better symmetry and more closely conformed to the definition of equivalent linear viscoelasticity. For non-cohesive soils, the differences in damping ratio determined by six methods were significant. The differences decreased with increasing confining pressure and relative density, but increased gradually with increasing shear strain, especially at high shear strains, where the maximum relative error reached 200%. For cohesive soils, the differences in damping ratio determined by six methods were relatively small, with a maximum relative error of about 50%. Moreover, they were less affected by effective confining pressure and had the same changing trend under different effective confining pressures. The damping ratio determination method has a large effect on the seismic response of soils distributed by non-cohesive soils, with a maximum relative error of about 15% for the PGA and up to about 30% for the Sa. However, for soil layers distributed by cohesive soils, the damping ratio determination method has less influence on the seismic response. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt a unified damping ratio determination method for non-cohesive soils, which can effectively avoid artificial errors caused by different determination methods.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.337-348
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• 2020

Tropical organic soils having more than 65% of organic matters are named "peat". This soil type is extremely soft, unconsolidated, and possesses low shear strength and stiffness. Different conventional and industrial binders (e.g., lime or Portland cement) are used widely for stabilisation of organic soils. However, due to many factors affecting the behaviour of these soils (e.g., high moisture content, fewer mineral particles, and acidic media), the efficiency of the conventional binders is low and/or cost-intensive. This research investigates the impact of different constituents of cement-sodium silicate grout system on the compressibility behaviour of organic soil, including settlement and void ratio. A microstructure analysis is also carried out on treated organic soil using Scanning Electron Micrographs (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). The results indicate that the settlement and void ratio of treated organic soils decrease gradually with the increase of cement and kaolinite contents, as well as sodium silicate until an optimum value of 2.5% of the wet soil weight. The microstructure analysis also demonstrates that with the increase of cement, kaolinite and sodium silicate, the void ratio and porosity of treated soil particles decrease, leading to an increase in the soil density by the hydration, pozzolanic, and polymerisation processes. This research contributes an extra useful knowledge to the stabilisation of organic soils and upgrading such problematic soils closer to the non-problematic soils for geotechnical applications such as deep mixing.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.729-738
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• 2018

Soft clay soils due to their various geotechnical problems, stabilized with different additives. Traditional additives such as cement and lime will not able to increase the soil strength properties significantly. So, it seems necessary to use new additives for increasing strength parameters of soft clay soils significantly. Among the new additives, epoxy resins have excellent physical and mechanical properties, low shrinkage, excellent resistance to chemicals and corrosive materials, etc. So, in this research, epoxy resin used for stabilization of soft clay soils. For comprehensive study, three clay soil samples with different PI and various clay mineral types were studied. A series of uniaxial tests, SEM and XRD analysis conducted on the samples. The results show that using epoxy resin increases the strength parameters such as UCS, elastic modulus and material toughness about 100 to 500 times which the increase was dependent on the type of clay minerals type in the soil. Also, In addition to water conservation, the best efficiency in the weakest and most sensitive soils is the prominent results of stabilization by epoxy resin which can be used in different climatic zones, especially in hot and dry and equatorial climate which will be faced with water scarcity.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.717-724
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• 2012

Salt accumulated soil should be reclaimed to lower salt level for crop production. This study was carried out to investigate the characteristics of water flow and transport of mono and divalent solutes on salt accumulated soils with different head pressures. Saturated hydraulic conductivity was measured by constant and falling head methods with maintaining different head pressures. Saturated hydraulic conductivity was influenced by bulk density and organic matter contents in soils, but it had different elusion patterns between saline and sodic soil. While the quantity of water necessary for reclamation could be varies with soil type, it was considered that the supply of one pore volume of water was affordable and economic. Additional head pressure significantly increased the volume of leachate at a given time and it was more effective at low organic matter soils. The results indicate that additional head pressure would be one of the best irrigation practices on desalination method for salt accumulated soils.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.243-259
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• 2023

Turkey is one of the most important earthquake regions in Europe. This region has been exposed to many earthquakes of different magnitudes from past to present. It is of great importance to determine the dynamic properties of the soils for structures to be built in earthquake zones. In order to minimize the damages that may occur, the behavior of the soils under repeated loads should be known and taken into consideration in the design. In this study, 4 different point borings were taken near active fault lines in the North Anatolian fault zone (NAFZ). In order to determine the dynamic parameters of soils, both dynamic triaxial (TRX) and resonant column (RC) tests were carried out on undisturbed samples at every 5 m. As a result of the experiments, V_s and G_max values were obtained from the field and differences were determined. The dynamic behavior of the soil was examined at varying depths with the comparison of reference models in the literature and compatible results were obtained. Finally, the behavior at the transition region is highlighted. As a result, three shear modulus and dumping ratio models have been proposed for clay soils to be used in different soil conditions.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.22-29
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• 1998

This study is investigated for the trace element concentration in the soils derived from different parent rocks, which are serpentinites, metamorphic rocks and black shales, and the absorption of the trace element by Pinus rigida in Hongseong and Keumsan, Chungnam, respectively. The concentrations of nickel, chrominium and cobalt are high in the serpentinites, whereas the concentrations of zinc, molybdenium and iron are high in the metamorphic rocks. These elements in black shale are lower than those in serpentinites and metamorphic rocks. The serpentine soils show high nickel, chrominium and cobalt content, while zinc and iron content are high in the mixed soils(serpentinites + metamorphic rocks) and black shales. Comparing with parent rocks, all of trace elements in their weathered soils are low. The pH of serpentine soil is high, 7.73~9.55 and that of black shale soil in 5.61. In serpentine area, the absorptions of chrominium by P. rigida is lower than its in the soils. The absorption of zinc by P. rigida is high relative to zinc concentration in soils. The Co/Ni and Fe/Ni quotient in P. rigida over serpentine soils are considerably lower than those growing over other soils tpes.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.837-843
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• 2010

This research investigated classification of clay activity degree by different clay mineral components. Based on compositions of different clay and oxide minerals within 390 soil series in Korea, 7 soils were selected to analyze for CEC and specific surface area of clay minerals. As a result, soils were mainly composed with Chlorite originated from sandstone, Smectite originated from Andesite porphyry and combination of Allophane and Ferrihydrite originated from volcanic ash, if the ratio of CEC value to clay content (degree of clay activity) was greater than 0.7. If the degree of clay activity was ranged between 0.3 and 0.7, soils were composed mainly with Kaolin originated from anorthite. Soils with this ratio also was composted with combinations of Kaolin, Illite and Vermiculite originated with river deposits. When the degree of the activity was less than 0.3, soils were commonly red-yellowish color and composed with two different minerals. One type of composition was Kaolin originated from granite and granite gneiss and the soils contained Geothite and Hematite. The other type was composited mainly with Illite and Vermiculite minerals originated from granite. These soils contained Gibbsite, Geothite and Hematite. The degree of clay activity was highly related with CEC and specific surface area. The greater degree of the activity displayed greater values of clay CEC and specific surface area. It is not easy to measure actual quantity and compositions of clay minerals, while the degree of clay activity can be measured from routine soil analyses. As a conclusion, the degree of clay activity may be not just a simple but also powerful tool to estimate physical-chemical properties of soils and to evaluate the soil classification in Korean soils.