• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2009.09a
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• pp.1289-1293
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• 2009

For the purpose of automatic management and enhancing quality of construction, information technology has been employed in construction field recently. As a consequence, informative construction, which utilizes information technology to reduce construction time and optimize construction sequence, becomes a state-of-art field of construction. Considering this case, construction field should more actively adopt other engineering technologies of rapidly advancing fields, such as electronic, control, and informative engineering, in order to reduce construction cost and to solve environmental problems as well as to enhance construction quality. In this aspect, this paper introduces a novel research field 'Geo-mechatronics', which stands for the convergence of geotechnical engineering and mechatronics (i.e. automation of mechanics using electronic technologies). Since the ground is ubiquitous in every infrastructure construction, the Geo-mechatronics research is crucial for the development of construction technology in the future. Moreover, it is believed to that the Geo-mechatronics research will make our construction industry to be more future-oriented and internationally comparative industry.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.863-870
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• 2017

With the increasing interest in using bacterial biofilms in geo-engineering practices, such as soil improvement, sealing leakage in earth structures, and hydraulic barrier installation, understanding of the contribution of bacterial biofilm formation to mechanical and hydraulic behavior of soils is important. While mechanical properties of soft gel-like biofilms need to be identified for appropriate modeling and prediction of behaviors of biofilm-associated soils, elastic properties of biofilms remain poorly understood. Therefore, this study investigated the microscale Young's modulus of biofilms produced by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 in a liquid phase. The indentation test was performed on a biofilm sample using the atomic force microscopy (AFM) with a spherical indentor, and the force-indentation responses were obtained during approach and retraction traces. Young's modulus of biofilms was estimated to be ~33-38 kPa from these force-indentation curves and Hertzian contact theory. It appears that the AFM indentation result captures the microscale local characteristics of biofilms and its stiffness is relatively large compared to the other methods, including rheometer and hydrodynamic shear tests, which reflect the average macro-scale behaviors. While modeling of mechanical behaviors of biofilm-associated soils requires the properties of each component, the obtained results provide information on the mechanical properties of biofilms that can be considered as cementing, gluing, or filling materials in soils.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.423-429
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• 2014

Development of a reservoir pressure core sampler (PCS) with a built-in data logging system (DLS) for recording real-time temperature and pressure observations is critical in domestic hydrocarbon production to accurately measure and monitor reserves of shale gas, coalbed methane, and gas-hydrate. Another purpose of this new technology is to minimize the loss of gas from the core as the drill core is collected. This is accomplished by maintaining the pressure of the sample from the moment the drill core is obtained at depth, thus allowing an accurate analysis of shale gas, coalbed methane gas, and gashydrate within the core. Currently, the United States and European countries have monopolized the development and marketability of PCS technologies. We are thus developing a reservoir PCS by analyzing the operating principle and mechanisms of the existing PCS, and by conducting tests on the existing PCS. We further aim to develop a PCS with a maximum operating pressure of 100 bar, a maximum operating temperature of $-20^{\circ}C$ to $40^{\circ}C$, and a pressure loss rate of 10%.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.664-679
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• 2008

This paper attempts to evaluate the local economy and the local economic development policy in Goryeong County and to propose some policy alternatives for local economic development. Goryeong County has a locational advantage, which is not just geographically proximate to Daegu, a large metropolis, but also connected directly to the national highway networks. This region can also be regarded as a rural area, in a sense that the primary industry still plays a more important role for the local economy than the secondary industry and the tertiary industry. However, it is problematic that the local economic development strategies of Goryeong are universal rather than strategic and systematic. In order to design an effective regional economic development policy, the policy makers are necessary to deliberately consider regional specificity and geo-political and geo-economic situations around the region. In addition, it is important to say that policy makers, particularly in rural regions, need to break from the fantasy of high-tech industries. In this context, I propose some region-specific and context-specific policy ideas, including the promotion of the agro-food cluster and the build-up of the em-industrial complexes specialized in mechatronics and transportation equipment manufacturing.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.305-313
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• 2019

Number of coastal protection structures have been increased rapidly due to rising sea levels and deteriorated sea conditions. Coastal structures should be designed to meet coastal engineering requirements and ecosystem conditions, while they are not lost or removed. In this study, trapezoidal gabion block was developed for the purpose, and two-dimensional laboratory experiments were conducted to validate applicability of the block. The experiments were carried out with eight types of erosive and accretive wave conditions. As a result, it was confirmed that the gabion blocks have a feature of preventing erosion of beach. The newly designed gabion blocks could be an alternative as a countermeasure method for beach erosion.