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

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.105-131
• /
• 2014

In this paper, the effects of variability of smear zone characteristics induced by installation of prefabricated vertical drains on the preloading design are investigated employing analytical and numerical approaches. Conventional radial consolidation theory has been adopted to conduct analytical parametric studies considering variations of smear zone permeability and extent. FLAC 2D finite difference software has been employed to conduct the numerical simulations. The finite difference analyses have been verified using three case studies including two embankments and a large-scale laboratory consolidometer with a central geosynthetic vertical drain. A comprehensive numerical parametric study is conducted to investigate the influence of smear zone permeability and extent on the model predictions. Furthermore, the construction of the trial embankment is recommended as a reliable solution to estimate accurate smear zone properties and minimise the post construction settlement. A back-calculation procedure is employed to determine the minimum required waiting time after construction of the trial embankment to predict the smear zone characteristics precisely. Results of this study indicate that the accurate smear zone permeability and extent can be back-calculated when 30% degree of consolidation is obtained after construction of the trial embankment.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
• /
• 2009.09a
• /
• pp.1132-1140
• /
• 2009

Recently soil improvement methods are using in many ways such as costal and soft ground of inland. Among them, sand compaction pile be widely used because of quiet few advantages. There are two ways for quality evaluation method of sand compaction pile. Especially standard penetration test is used the most general method. However, Current method have problems in that it is not consider the condition of construction site. Therefore this study is propose new quality evaluation method. Relation of N-$\Phi$ is always not fixed but changing by condition of construction site. By through the Laboratory test we can know relationship between relative density and internal friction. Also this study propose revision for effective stress. From these study, we can acquire more accurate and reasonable result than current method.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.401-414
• /
• 2023

Organic clays are ideal habitat for flora and fauna. From a geotechnical perspective, organic clays are soft, weak, variable, heterogeneous and flocculated. Portland cement is a universally common stabiliser. However, some organic acids in soil inhibit full hydration and expose cementation products to rapid dissolution. This paper investigates scopes for use of C₃S cement to enable durable cementation. Prospects of using PP fibre alongside with C₃S cement, scopes for partial replacement of C₃S cement with a plant-based nanosilica and evolution of binders are then investigated. Binding mixtures here mimic the natural functions of rhizoliths, amorphous phases, and calcites. Testing sample population include natural and fibre-reinforced clays, compact mixes of clay - C₃S cement, clay - nanobiosilica, and clay, C₃S cement and nanobiosilica. Benefits and constraints of C₃S cement and fibres for retaining the naturally flocculated structure of organic clays are discussed. Nanobiosilica provides an opportunity to cut the C₃S content, and to transition of highly compressive organic clays into an engineered, open-structured medium with >0.5 MPa compressive strength across the strains spanning from peak to 1.5-times peak.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.179-187
• /
• 2003

Vertical reinforcement of soft ground using granular column is a very effective ground improvement technique which is being used fur increasing bearing capacity and decreasing settlement. In this study, the theories of elasticity and plasticity including the upper bound theorem of limit analysis were used to derive the equations for obtaining elastic properties and shear strength parameter of equivalent ground of composite foundation. The developed equations were verified using the finite element computer program, SAGE CRISP. For validation, finite element analyses were conducted f3r the various different cases including different type of soil and replacement ratios. The results of the analysis show that the proposed equation could determine the properties of equivalent ground material for practical application effectively.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.421-432
• /
• 2022

Regarding the high significance of correct pan evaporation modeling, this study introduces two novel neuro-metaheuristic approaches to improve the accuracy of prediction for this parameter. Vortex search algorithms (VSA), sunflower optimization (SFO), and stochastic fractal search (SFS) are integrated with a multilayer perceptron neural network to create the VSA-MLPNN, SFO-MLPNN, and SFS-MLPNN hybrids. The climate data of Arcata-Eureka station (operated by the US environmental protection agency) belonging to the years 1986-1989 and the year 1990 are used for training and testing the models, respectively. Trying different configurations revealed that the best performance of the VSA, SFO, and SFS is obtained for the population size of 400, 300, and 100, respectively. The results were compared with a conventionally trained MLPNN to examine the effect of the metaheuristic algorithms. Overall, all four models presented a very reliable simulation. However, the SFS-MLPNN (mean absolute error, MAE = 0.0997 and Pearson correlation coefficient, R_P = 0.9957) was the most accurate model, followed by the VSA-MLPNN (MAE = 0.1058 and R_P = 0.9945), conventional MLPNN (MAE = 0.1062 and R_P = 0.9944), and SFO-MLPNN (MAE = 0.1305 and R_P = 0.9914). The findings indicated that employing the VSA and SFS results in improving the accuracy of the neural network in the prediction of pan evaporation. Hence, the suggested models are recommended for future practical applications.

• Geotechnical Engineering
• /
• v.9 no.3
• /
• pp.35-48
• /
• 1993

This paper was focused on the design and construction of stone columns as a method of reinforcements in slightly soft clay or loose silty sand overlying the firm strata. It was intended to find out the effects of soil improvement by field tests in Kwangmyoung Haan Site by comparing the test results performed before and after the installation of stone columns . The results of this experimental study are as follows : the hearing capacity was increased by 3.33 times and the SPT N -valued was increased by 3.9 times by installing the stone columns : the stone column method can cut down the construction cost almost 35% compared to the precast concrete pile method in economic viewpoints.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.227-234
• /
• 2000

Soilcrete has been a traditional material for pavement and soft ground improvement techniques. However, since the durability is not excellent and the quality is not consistent, it has not been used for various purposes up to date. However, with the increase of naturally oriented needs for light traffic roads such as pedestrian roads of garden, golf courses and sidewalks, the cases of the high strength soilcrete paving have been increased lately. This study aims at making a reference table of mix design in accordance with the required design specifications fur the high strength soilcrete admixtured with the pozzolanic cement by using a statistical experimental method. The treated soil is the clay which is widely found in Korea. As the results of this study, we could derive an effective reference mix design table for the clay treated with the pozzolanic cement stabilizer in accordance with the compressive strength of $50~150kg/cm^2$ soilcrete.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.500-506
• /
• 2011

The deep mixing method, which is generally considered as a method for improving soft ground, is assessed in terms of its applicability for urban construction. Using small equipment tailored to perform deep mixing in congested urban areas, deep mixing was performed to reinforce the foundation ground of a retaining wall in a redevelopment site in Seoul. Strengths characteristics, construction vibrations and displacements induced to an adjacent old masonry wall were evaluated by laboratory tests and field monitoring. The results indicate that the strength of ground was improved appropriately whilst the vibrations and displacements induced by deep mixing were slight enough to satisfy the general requirements for construction works in urban environments. Therefore, it is concluded that deep mixing method can be a practical option for foundation methods in urban construction works where minimizing noise and vibrations is an important concern.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
• /
• v.8 no.5
• /
• pp.39-46
• /
• 2007

In this study, the centrifuge tests were performed to investigate the lateral flow behavior and stability of the ground improved by SCP. The centrifuge tests were fulfilled in the case of the back of abutment filled by EPS (case 1) and soil (case 2), and the potentiometer was installed on the abutment and embankment to measure the vertical and horizontal displacement at the top of abutment. As a result, the vertical displacement measured at the back of abutment was maximum 2.1 m, which was about 12% if compared with the height of embankment. In the case of the back of abutment filled by soil, the vertical and horizontal displacement measured at the top of abutment was 10 cm and 1.1 m, respectively, which exceeded the allowable horizontal displacement. On the other hand, in the case of the back of abutment filled by EPS, the vertical displacement of abutment did nor occur and the horizontal displacement was 1.4 cm. Therefore, the effect of SCP improvement with EPS method adopted to prevent the lateral flow and assure the stability of embankment on the soft ground was far superior.