• Proceedings of the KSR Conference
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• 2008.06a
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• pp.1695-1704
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• 2008

The problems associated with constructing high-speed concrete track embankments over soft compressible soil has lead to the development and/or extensive use of many of the ground improvement techniques used today. Drains, surcharge loading, and geosynthetic reinforcement, have all been used to solve the settlement and embankment stability issues associated with construction on soft soils. However, when time constraints are critical to the success of the project, owners have resorted to another innovative approach. Especially, the design criteria of residual settlement is limited as 30mm for concrete track embankment, it is very difficult to satisfy this standard using the former construction method. Pile net method consist of vertical columns that are designed to transfer the load of the embankment through the soft compressible soil layer to a firm foundation and one or more layers of geosynthetic reinforcement placed between the top of the columns and the bottom of the embankment. This paper will present the guidelines for the design of pile net method to supported embankments. These guidelines were developed based on a review of current design methodologies and a parametric study of design variables using numerical modeling.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.32 no.12
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• pp.79-91
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• 2016

Geosynthetic-reinforced and Pile-supported (GRPS) embankment method is widely used to construct structures on soft ground due to restraining residual settlement and their rapid construction. However, effect of cyclic loading has not been established although some countries suggest design methods through many studies. In this paper, cyclic loading tests were conducted to analyze dynamic load transfer characteristics of pile-supported embankment reinforced with geosynthetics. A series of 3 case full scale model tests which were non-reinforced, one-layer-reinforced, two-layer reinforced with geosynthetics were performed on piled embankments. In these series of tests, the height of embankment and pile spacing were selected according to EBGEO (2010) standard in Germany. As a result of the vertical load parts on the pile and on the geosynthetic reinforcement measured separately, cyclic loads transferred by only arching effect decreased with strength geosynthetic-reinforced case. However, final loads on the pile showed no differences among the cases. These results conflict with previous studies that reinforcement with geosynthetics increases transfer load concentrated on piles. In addition, it is observed that the load transferred to pile decreases at the beginning of cycle number due to reduction of arching effected by cyclic loading. Based on these results, transferred mechanism for cyclic load on GRPS system has been presented.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 1999.11c
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• pp.95-104
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• 1999

In this study, laboratory pull-out tests and finite element modeling are carried out focused on the grid effects of geogrid and the analyses of friction characteristics associated with interaction behaviors of the composite reinforcement composed of geogrid with a superior function in tensile resistance and geotextile with sufficient drainage effects. In addition, drainage effects of the geotextile below geogrid are examined based on the analysis of finite difference numerical modeling. From the present investigation, it is concluded that the geosynthetic composite reinforcement in the weathered granite backfills may possibly be used to achieve effects on both a reduction of deformations and an increase of the tensile resistance, together with drainage effects due to the geotextile.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2009.09a
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• pp.337-349
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• 2009

In recent years, the cutting and banking areas along the railway in Korea are exposed to the erosion problem during every year. The reinforcement is a composite construction material in which the strength of engineering fill is enhanced by the addition of strong tensile reinforcement in many different types. Various problems of the railway infrastructure have occurred due to the differential settlement, frost heaving, mud pumping, lack of bearing capacity, partially loss of embankment. In advanced countries, railway roadbed reinforcement is applied to solve these problems on railway roadbed. This paper presents the solution of such problems by means of the engineering works incorporated with railway reinforcement infrastructures such as geotextile bag method, existing grouting method, geocell, reinforced earth, soil nailing and so on.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.565-575
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• 2016

Geosynthetics reinforced soil (GRS) walls constructed on weak grounds may change in both the horizontal earth pressure and deformation on wall facing. However, only few studies were done in the literature to measure and analyze the horizontal external deformation behavior of GRS walls constructed on soft grounds for a long period of time. The present study describes the external deformation behavior of GRS walls observed for 12-year long-term performance. The horizontal deformation of the geosynthetics-wrapped-facing GRS walls shows a passive behavior along one third of the wall height, from top going downwards, and active behavior for the rest of the wall height. Even if the geogrid and nonwoven geotextiles are exposed directly to sunlight and rainfalls in a span of 12 years, they have functioned well as wall facing. Therefore, the geosynthetic reinforcement material is strong enough to resist ultraviolet rays.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.33-45
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• 2014

Use of geotextile as reinforcement material to improve the weak soil is a popular method these days. Tensile strength of geotextile and the soil-geotextile interaction are the major factors which influence the improvement of the soil. Change in fine content within the sand can change the interface behavior between soil and geotextile. In the present paper, the bearing capacity of unreinforced and geotextile-reinforced sand with different percentages of fines has been studied. A series of model tests have been carried out and the load settlement curves are obtained. The ultimate load carrying capacity of unreinforced and reinforced sand with different percentages of fines is compared. The interface behavior of sand and geotextile with various percentages of fines is also studied. It is observed that sand having around 5% of fine is suitable or permissible for bearing capacity improvement due to the application of geosynthetic reinforcement. The effectiveness of the reinforcement in load carrying capacity improvement decreases due to the addition of excessive amount of fines.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.39-49
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• 2005

In this study, the fifteen month behavior of two geosynthetic reinforced walls which was constructed on the shallow weak ground was measured and analyzed. The walls were backfilled with clayey soil obtained from the construction site nearby, and the safety factors obtained from general limit equilibrium analysis were less than 1.3 in both wall. The measured and analyzed data were horizontal earth pressures, strain of reinforcements, and excess pore water pressures. The used reinforcements were nonwoven geotextile, woven geotextile and geogrid. Although the length of reinforcement was only 30% of wall height and the safety factors of the walls were less than 1.3, the walls were constructed without any problems on the such weak ground. The analysis results showed that the maximum strain of reinforcements were negligible and the strain was between 2.3 and 6.0% according to tensile characteristic of the reinforcements. The excess pore water pressure was not changed due to the rainfall and the horizontal earth pressures in upper and lower part of the walls were larger than the active and the rest pressure.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.11 no.11
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• pp.47-54
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• 2010

Nowadays, geosynthetics for reinforcement and protection are widely applied to the waste landfill site. Current research indicates the potential for progressive failure in geosynthetic-soil system depends on the interface shear strength governed by several intrinsic factors such as moisture, normal stress, chemical, etc. In particular, the effect of the acidity and basicity from the leachate is intensively reviewed to assess the chemical reaction mechanism of interface shear strength under the cyclic loading condition. New multi-purpose interface apparatus(M-PIA) has been manufactured and the cyclic direct shear tests using submerged geosynthetics and soils under the different chemical conditions have been performed, consequently, the thickness of interface and shear stress degradation are verified. The basic schematic of the Disturbed State Concept(DSC) is employed to estimate the shear stress degradation in the interface, then, normalized disturbed function is obtained and analyzed to describe the shear stress degradation of geosynthetic-soil interface with chemical influence factors under dynamic condition.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.15-27
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• 2007

This paper deals with the bearing capacity behaviour of geosynthetic-reinforced stone column(GRSC) constructed in soft ground, as part of an investigation regarding the applicability of GRSC in Korea. In this study, two-dimensional finite element analyses were performed to investigate the effect of relevant design factors on the bearing capacity behaviour. The parametric study is performed for various influencing factors. The results indicated that the geogrid encasement tends to significantly improve the load carrying capacity of a stone column. Also found were that the geogrid encasement length and its stiffness significantly affect the load carrying capacity behaviour of GRSC, and that the encasement length of three times the stone column diameter is sufficient in mobilizing the full reinforcement effect. Practical implications of the findings are discussed.

• Geotechnical Engineering
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.35-48
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• 1996

Reinforced soil structures may experience large local movements between soil and reinforcement. The failure modes of a reinforced structure depend on several factors which are governed by deformation and slipping of the reinforcement. In some cases, pulling out of the reinforcement may occur instead of rupturing, The growing use of geosynthetic liner system for storage of solid and liquid wastes has led to a number of slope instability problems where the synthetic liner may undergo a large amount of stretching and slipping as a result of the loading. The conventional finite element model for the soil-reinforcement interface uses a zero thickness joint element with normal and shear stiffnesses and can only accommodate a small amount of deformation. When a large slippage occurs, the model provides an i ncorrect mechanism for deformation. This paper presents a new interface finite element model which is able to simulate a large amount of slippage between soil and reinforcement. The formulation of the model is presented and the capability of the model is demonstrated using illustrative examples.