• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.93-102
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• 2015

The characteristics of frozen soils are one of most important factors for foundation design in cold region. The objective of this study is to evaluate the shear strength and stiffness of frozen soils according to the confining conditions during the freezing and shearing phase. A direct shear box is constructed for the frozen specimens and bender elements are mounted on the wall of the shear box to measure shear wave velocities. Specimens are prepared by mixing sand and silt with a silt fraction of 30% in weight and the degree of saturation of 10%, giving a relative density of 60% for all tests. The temperature of the specimens in the freezer is allowed to fall below -5℃, and then direct shear tests are performed. A series of vertical stresses are applied during the freezing and shearing phase. Shear stress, vertical displacement, and shear wave along the horizontal displacement are measured. Experimental results show that in all the tests, shear strength increases with increasing vertical stress applied during the freezing and shearing phases. The magnitude of the increase in shear strength with increasing vertical stress during shearing under fixed vertical stress in the frozen state is smaller than the magnitude of the increase in vertical stress during freezing and shearing. In addition, the change in shear wave velocities varies with the position of the bender elements. In the case of shear waves passing through the shear plane, the shear wave velocities decrease with increasing horizontal displacement. This study provides an evaluation of the properties of shear strength and stiffness of frozen soils under varied confining condition.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.179-187
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• 2020

Freezing-thawing cycles have significant effect on soils engineering behavior in frozen areas. This effect is more considerable in fine-graded than coarse-grained soils. The objective of this study is improving soil durability and strength in continues freezing-thawing cycles. For getting this purpose mixture of Polyvinyl Acetate (PVAc) and Ethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether (EGBE) has been added to fine-grained soil and final prepared samples were tested at different freezing-thawing cycles. PVAc was mixed with 1%, 2% and 3% of soil weight. Half of PVAc weight was used as weight of EGBE. Freezing-Thawing cycles were exposed to samples and they were tested at different cycles. Results showed that adding mixture of PVAc+EGBE improved strength and durability of samples up to 10 freezing-thawing cycles. Unconfined compress strength tests were applied to samples and stress and strain of samples were tested on failure time. Behavior of samples was different at different percentages of mixture. Results showed that increasing amount of PVAc from 1% to 2% had more considerable effect on final stress than 2% to 3%. Using higher percentages of PVAc + EGBE mixture leaded to that samples carried more strain before collapsing. Another result gained from tests was that, freezing-thawing effect was more considerable after fourth cycles. It means differences between first and fourth cycles were more considerable than differences between fourth and tenth.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.26 no.1C
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• pp.19-24
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• 2006

In this study, centrifugal model tests were performed to evaluate the stress sharing between SCP and surrounding clayey soil at composite ground improved by sand compaction pile with the low area replacement ratio. The SCPs were formed by the "frozen pile" method and pressure cells were installed on pile and surrounding clayey soil to observe stress sharing characteristics. As a result of centrifugal tests, it is shown that the value of stress concentration ratio is mainly affected by area replacement ratio, loading condition and elapsed time.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.51-63
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• 2023

Numerical analysis was conducted to determine the effect of soil behavior by thawing and freezing of seasonal frozen soil on pile foundations. The analysis was performed using the finite element method (FEM) to simulate soil-pile interaction based on the atmosphere temperature change. Thermomechanical coupled modeling using FEM was applied with the temperature-dependent nonlinear properties of the frozen soil. The analysis model cases were applied to the MCR and HDP models to simulate the elastoplastic behavior of soil. The numerical analysis results were analyzed and compared with various conditions having different length and width sizes of the pile. The results of the numerical analysis showed t hat t he HDP model was relat ively passive, and t he aspect and magnit ude of t he bearing capacit y and displacement of the pile head were similar depending on the length and width of the pile conditions. The vertical displacement of the pile head by thawing and freezing of the ground showed a large variation in displacement for shorter length conditions. In the MCR model, the vertical displacement appeared in the maximum thaw settlement and frost heaving of 0.0387 and 0.0277 m, respectively. In the HDP model, the vertical displacement appeared in the maximum thaw settlement and frost heaving of 0.0367 and 0.0264 m, respectively. The results of the pile bearing capacity for the two elastoplastic models showed a larger difference in the width condition than the length condition of the pile, with a maximum of about 14.7% for the width L condition, a maximum of about 5.4% for M condition, and a maximum of about 5.3% for S condition. The significance of the effect on the displacement of the pile head and the bearing capacity depended on the pile-soil contact area, and the difference depended on the presence or absence of an active layer in the soil and its thickness.

• Proceedings of the KSR Conference
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• 2007.05a
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• pp.404-411
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• 2007

Reinforced roadbeds are valued from the point of view of maintenance as well as enhanced mechanical capacity. They support more train load and less transmit to the sub-layers than general roadbeds. Also, the lateral sloping surface of the reinforced roadbed and its low permeability, achieved by the controlled compaction, increase drainage capability and prevent the softening of sub-layers. In the study, a series of cross-hole tests was performed to observe the temporal changes in the stiffness of reinforced roadbeds, if any, due to the cyclic loading of trains and alternating rainy and frozen seasons at Pyeong-taek experimental site. The three types of reinforced roadbed materials are slag, crushed stones, and soils, and the thickness of all the reinforced roadbeds is 0.8m. The stiffness of the slag and soil reinforced roadbeds was not changed or slightly decreased. The stiffness of the crushed stone was somewhat increased and is inferred to being densified close to surface.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.111-122
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• 2014

For accurate laboratory evaluations of soil deposits, it is essential that the samples are undisturbed. An artificial ground-freezing system is the one of the most effective methods for obtaining undisturbed samples from sand deposits. The objective of this study is to estimate the shear strengths and the characteristics of elastic waves of frozen-thawed and unfrozen specimens through the undrained triaxial compression test. For the experiments, Jumunjin standard sands are used to prepare frozen and unfrozen specimens with similar relative densities (60% and 80%). The water pluviation method is used to simulate the fully saturated condition under the groundwater table. When thawing the frozen specimens, the temperature is measured every minute. After the specimens are completely thawed, undrained triaxial compression tests are conducted using the same procedures as for the unfrozen specimens. During the triaxial tests (saturation, consolidation, and shear phase), compressional and shear waves are measured. The results show that the freeze-thaw process has minor effects on the peak deviatoric stress and shear strength values, and that the process does not affect the internal friction angle. The compressional wave velocity increases with increasing B-value to 1800 m/s in the saturation phase, but tends to remain constant in the process of consolidation and shearing. The shear wave velocity decreases with increasing B-value in the process of saturation, but changes velocity in accordance with the change in effective stress in the processes of consolidation and shearing. The compressional wave velocity has similar values regardless of the freeze-thaw process, but values of shear wave velocity are slighly lower in frozen-thawed specimens than in unfrozen specimens. This study is a preliminary experiment for estimating the shear strength and characteristics of elastic wave velocity in undisturbed frozen specimens that have been obtained using the artificial ground-freezing method.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.108-114
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• 1980

A deterministic conceptual erosion model which simulates detachment, entrainment, transport and deposition of eroded soil particles by rainfall impact and flowing water is presented. Both upland and channel phases of sediment yield are incorporated into the erosion model. The algorithms for the soil erosion and sedimentation processes including land and crop management effects are taken from the literature and then solved using a digital computer. The erosion model is used in conjunction with the modified Kentucky Watershed Model which simulates the hydrologic characteristics from watershed data. The two models are linked together by using the appropriate computer code. Calibrations for both the watershed and erosion model parameters are made by comparing the simulated results with actual field measurements in the Four Mile Creek watershed near Traer, Iowa using 1976 and 1977 water year data. Two water years, 1970 and 1978 are used as test years for model verification. There is good agreement between the mean daily simulated and recorded streamflow and between the simulated and recorded suspended sediment load except few partial differences. The following conclusions were drawn from the results after testing the watershed and erosion model. 1. The watershed and erosion model is a deterministic lumped parameter model, and is capable of simulating the daily mean streamflow and suspended sediment load within a 20 percent error, when the correct watershed and erosion parameters are supplied. 2. It is found that soil erosion is sensitive to errors in simulation of occurrence and intensity of precipitation and of overland flow. Therefore, representative precipitation data and a watershed model which provides an accurate simulation of soil moisture and resulting overland flow are essential for the accurate simulation of soil erosion and subsequent sediment transport prediction. 3. Erroneous prediction of snowmelt in terms of time and magnitute in conjunction with The frozen ground could be the reason for the poor simulation of streamflow as well as sediment yield in the snowmelt period. More elaborate and accurate snowmelt submodels will greatly improve accuracy. 4. Poor simulation results can be attributed to deficiencies in erosion model and to errors in the observed data such as the recorded daily streamflow and the sediment concentration. 5. Crop management and tillage operations are two major factors that have a great effect on soil erosion simulation. The erosion model attempts to evaluate the impact of crop management and tillage effects on sediment production. These effects on sediment yield appear to be somewhat equivalent to the effect of overland flow. 6. Application and testing of the watershed and erosion model on watersheds in a variety of regions with different soils and meteorological characteristics may be recommended to verify its general applicability and to detact the deficiencies of the model. Futhermore, by further modification and expansion with additional data, the watershed and erosion model developed through this study can be used as a planning tool for watershed management and for solving agricultural non-point pollution problems.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.257-267
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• 2021

Constraints on the structure and composition of the active layer are important for understanding permafrost evolution. Soil convection owing to repeated moisture-induced freeze-thaw cycles within the active layer promotes the formation of self-organized patterned ground. Here we present the results of ground penetrating radar (GPR) surveys across a selected sorted circle near King Sejong Station, Antarctica, to better delineate the active layer and its relation to the observed patterned ground structure. We acquire GPR data in both bistatic mode (common mid-points) for precise velocity constraints and monostatic mode (common-offset) for subsurface imaging. Reflections are derived from the active layer-permafrost boundary, organic layer-weathered soil boundary within the active layer, and frozen rock-fracture-filled ice boundary within the permafrost. The base of the imaged sorted circle possesses a convex-down shape in the central silty zone, which is typical for the pattern associated with convection-like soil motion within the active layer. The boundary between the central fine-silty domain and coarse-grained stone border is effectively identified in a radar amplitude contour at the assumed active layer depth, and is further examined in the frequency spectra of the near- and far-offset traces. The far-offset traces and the traces from the lower frequency components dominant on the far-offset traces would be associated with rapid absorption of higher frequency radiowave due to the voids in gravel-rich zone. The presented correlation strategies for analyzing very shallow, thin-layered GPR reflection data can potentially be applied to the various types of patterned ground, particularly for acquiring time-lapse imaging, when electric resistivity tomography is incorporated into the analysis.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.37 no.12
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• pp.107-116
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• 2021

In this study, a set of laboratory liquefaction test has been conducted using undisturbed samples collected from Songlim-park, Pohang where liquefaction phenomenon had been observed in 2017. Soil samples were frozen right after tube sampling to minimize the disturbances during transport, storage, and test preparation. Cyclic triaxial test has been carried out to evaluate the liquefaction resistance ratio of undisturbed soil samples. As a result, the liquefaction resistance ratio of samples collected from 8.0~8.8 m and 11.0~11.8 m were almost similar, and these values were approximately 0.04~0.07 larger than values estimated by simplified assessment method using field test results. It is expected that the application of undisturbed sample for the evaluation of liquefaction resistance could contribute to the economical design of geotechnical structures.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.57-65
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• 2018

This study adopts high resolution 3D X-ray CT imaging technique to visualize and evaluate the internal structure of experimentally frozen soils. Temperature and elastic wave velocity are also measured during the freezing process. The X-ray images of frozen specimens reveal that no changes in internal structure are observed for sand specimen, whereas systematic growth pattern of pore ice is observed within clay specimen. The freezing patterns are then quantified by a set of X-ray images with the aid of two-point correlation method by computing characteristic length Lr. The results reveal that characteristic length for pore ice freezing pattern in clay linearly increases with respect to the distance from the cooling source, so that Lr at the bottom layer is 2.5 times greater than the top layer when freezing process is completed. Furthermore, during the freezing process, local temperature differences are not observed in sand, but observed in clay specimen due to its relatively low thermal conductivity.