• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.757-774
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• 2015

Reinforcing soils with the geosynthetics have been shown to be an effective method for improving the uplift capacity of granular soils. The pull-out resistance of the reinforcing elements is one of the most notable factors in increasing the uplift capacity. In this paper, a new reinforcing element including the elements (anchors) attached to the ordinary geogrid for increasing the pull-out resistance of the reinforcement, is used. Thus, the reinforcement consists of the geogrid and anchors with the cylindrical plastic elements attached to it, namely grid-anchors. A three-dimensional numerical study, employing the commercial finite difference software FLAC-3D, was performed to investigate the uplift capacity of the pipelines buried in sand reinforced with this system. The models were used to investigate the effect of the pipe diameter, burial depth, soil density, number of the reinforcement layers, width of the reinforcement layer, and the stiffness of geogrid and anchors on the uplift resistance of the sandy soils. The outcomes reveal that, due to a developed longer failure surface, inclusion of grid-anchor system in a soil deposit outstandingly increases the uplift capacity. Compared to the multilayer reinforcement, the single layer reinforcement was more effective in enhancing the uplift capacity. Moreover, the efficiency of the reinforcement layer inclusion for uplift resistance in loose sand is higher than dense sand. Besides, the efficiency of reinforcement layer inclusion for uplift resistance in lower embedment ratios is higher. In addition, by increasing the pipe diameter, the efficiency of the reinforcement layer inclusion will be lower. Results demonstrate that, for the pipes with an outer diameter of 50 mm, the grid-anchor system of reinforcing can increase the uplift capacity 2.18 times greater than that for an ordinary geogrid and 3.20 times greater than that for non-reinforced sand.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.6 no.5
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• pp.487-502
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• 2014

A three dimensional finite element model was used to simulate rapid impact compaction (RIC) in loose granular soils using ABAQUS software for one impact point. The behavior of soil under impact loading was expressed using a cap-plasticity model. Numerical modeling was done for a site in Assalouyeh petrochemical complex in southern Iran to verify the results. In-situ settlements per blow were compared to those in the numerical model. Measurements of improvement by depth were obtained from the in-situ standard penetration, plate loading, and large density tests and were compared with the numerical model results. Contours of the equal relative density clearly showed the efficiency of RIC laterally and at depth. Plastic volumetric strains below the anvil and the effect of RIC set indicated that a set of 10 mm can be considered to be a threshold value for soil improvement using this method. The results showed that RIC strongly improved the soil up to 2 m in depth and commonly influenced the soil up to depths of 4 m.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.113-120
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• 2009

The results of FLAC3D-based numerical evaluation of the bearing capacity shape factor $s_{\gamma}$ are presented for square and rectangular footings on granular soils. The results confirm a peculiar effect found earlier by Zhu and Michalowski (2005), where for large values of internal friction angle, $s_{\gamma}$ exhibits a peak at some aspect ratio of the footing, and then decreases towards unity at large aspect ratios. The Zhu and Michalowski's results were derived using the finite element program ABAQUS, and the results presented in this note corroborate their earlier findings.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.257-282
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• 2015

In this study, the authors present a coupled fluid-structures-seabed interaction analysis of a monopile type of wind turbine foundations in liquefiable soils. A two dimensional analysis is performed with a nonlinear stiffness degradation model incorporated in the finite difference program Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua (FLAC), which captured the fundamental mechanisms of the monopiles in saturated granular soil. The effects of inertia and the kinematic flow of soil are investigated separately, to highlight the importance of considering the combined effect of these phenomena on the seismic design of offshore monopiles. Different seismic loads, such as those experienced in the Kobe, Santa Cruz, Loma Prieta, Kocaeli, and Morgan Hill earthquakes, are analyzed. The pore water pressure development, relative displacements, soil skeleton deformation and monopile bending moment are obtained for different predominant frequencies and peak accelerations. The findings are verified with results in the liter.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.461-472
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• 2023

A box scale affects the shear behavior of soils in the direct shear test. The purpose of this study is to investigate the scale effect on the shear behavior of dilative granular materials by testing specimens of different heights placed in a type C shear box. Experimental tests were performed on specimens composed of glass beads with different heights and equal initial void ratios. Results showed that the peak friction and dilation angles linearly increased with the specimen height; however, the residual friction angle remained relatively constant. Similarly, the shear stiffness increased with the specimen height, rapidly reaching its peak state. Height does not have a significant effect on the total volume changes; nevertheless, a high aspect ratio can be assumed to result in global and homogeneous failure. The results and interpretations may be used as reference for recommending shear box scale in direct shear tests.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.31 no.6C
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• pp.213-220
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• 2011

Fines such as silt or clay are usually mixed with granular particles in natural or reclaimed soils which are slightly cemented. Such fines contained within weakly cemented soils may influence permeability and also mechanical behavior of the soils. In this study, a series of unconfined compression tests on weakly cemented sands with fines are carried out in order to evaluate the effect of fines on unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of cemented soils. Two different cement ratios and fine types were used and fine contents varied by 5, 10, and 15%. Two types of specimens were prepared in this testing. One is the specimen with the same compaction energy applied. The other is the one with the same dry density by varying compaction energy. When the same amount of compaction energy was applied to a specimen, its density increased as a fine content increased. As a result, the UCS of cemented soils with fines increased up to 2.6 times that of one without fines as an amount of fines increased. However, when the specimen was prepared to have the same density, its UCS slightly decreased and then increased a little as a fine content increased. Under the same conditions, a UCS of the specimen with silt was stronger than the one with kaolin. As a cement ratio increased, a UCS increased regardless of fine type and content.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2010.03a
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• pp.314-323
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• 2010

Recently, granular soils having a large particle size are frequently used as a filling material in the construction of foundation, harbor, dam, and so on. The shear behavior of this granular soil plays a key role in the stability of structures. For example, soil particle crushing occurring at the interface between structure and soil and/or within soil mass can cause the disturbance of ground characteristics and consequently induce an issues in respect of stability of structures. In order to investigate the shear behavior according to an existence and nonexistence of particle crushing, numerical analyses were conducted by using the DEM(Discrete Element Method)-based software program PFC(Particle Flow Code). Using the crushing model and non-crushing model which were created in this study, numerical analyses of ring shear test were conducted and their results were analyzed and compared. In general, landslide and slope stability are accompanied by a large displacement and consequently not only a peak strength but also a residual strength are very important in the analysis of landslide and slope stability. However the direct shear test which has been commonly used in the determination of shear strength parameters has a limitation on displacement therefore the residual strength parameters can not be obtained. The characteristics of residual shear behavior were investigated through the numerical analyses in this study.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.193-204
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• 1999

Particle crushing is an important and essential factor in interpreting the strength and deformation properties of granular materials in the case of geotechnical problems related to soil crushability. As a recent field problem, the exploitation of offshore oil reserves in tropical and sub-tropical coastal shelf areas has shown that the behaviour of soils containing carbonates is markedly different from predominantly silica sands. In this study, as a first step in making a mechanical framework of granular materials incorporating the soil crushability, single particle fragmentation tests were carried out on four different types of sands in order to clarify the characteristics of the single particle fragmentation strength as related to soil crushability. The single particle strength was considered with the influence of the particle shapes, the amount of mineral components and the particle sizes. The soil particle strength corresponding $D_{50}$ of soil distribution curve has shown the lower value, the more the carbonate component and the more angular the particle shape.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.37-45
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• 2010

Salt cementation, a typical naturally-cemented phenomenon, may occur due to water evaporation under the change of climate. Capillary force may influence the distribution of cement in granular soils. This study addresses the effect of capillary force on salt cementation using five different techniques: cone penetration test, electrical conductivity measurement, photographic imaging technique, nondestructive imaging technique, and process monitoring by elastic wave. Glass beads modeling a particulate media was mixed with salt water and then dried in an oven to create the cementation condition. Experimental results show that salt cementation highly concentrates at the top of the small particle size specimens and at the middle or the bottom of the large particle specimens. The predicted capillary heights are similar to the locations of high salt concentration in the cemented specimens. Five suggested methods show that the behavior of salt-cemented granular media heavily depends on the capillary force.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.15-23
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• 2012

An internal friction angle, which is one of strength parameters of granular soils, can be obtained from direct shear tests or triaxial tests. The result of traixial tests can be influenced by various experimental conditions such as confining pressure, shearing rate, specimen diameter and height, and end constraint. In this study, undrained and drained shearing behaviors of Nakdong River sand were investigated for loose (Dr = 40%) and dense (Dr = 80%) specimens with 5, 7, and 10 cm in diameter. Friction angles such as undrained total stress friction angle, undrained effective stress friction angle, and drained friction angle obtained from Mohr's stress circle slightly increased and then decreased as a diameter of a specimen increased from 5, 7 to 10 cm, regardless of relative densities. The difference between friction angles caused by different specimen size was at maximum 4.5 degrees for undrained total stress friction angle of dense specimen. In most cases, there was little difference between friction angles of large and small specimens, which was less than 2 degrees. The difference between an effective friction angle from undrained tests and a drained friction angle from drained tests was at maximum 7 degrees for loose samples but negligible for dense samples.