• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.65-74
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• 2014

Cemented soils have been widely used in road and dam construction, and recently ground improvement of soft soils. The strength of such cemented soils can be tested by using cored sample or laboratory-prepared specimen through unconfined compression or triaxial tests. It takes time to core a sample or prepare a testing specimen in the laboratory. In a certain situation, it is necessary to determine the in-situ strength of cemented soils very quickly and on time. In this study, the relation between unconfined compressive strength and shear wave velocity was investigated for predicting the in-situ strength of cemented soils. A small cemented specimen with 5 cm in diameter and 10 cm in height was prepared by Nakdong river sand and ordinary Portland cement. Its cement ratios were 4, 8, 12, and 16% and air cured for 7, 14, and 28 days. For recycling of resources, a blast furnace slag was also used with sodium hydroxide as an alkaline activator. The shear wave velocity for cemented soils was measured and then unconfined compressive strength test was carried out. As a cement ratio increased, the shear wave velocity and unconfined compressive strength increased due to increased density and denser structure. The relation between unconfined compressive strength and shear wave velocity increased nonlinearly for cemented soils with less than 16% of cement ratio.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.169-179
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• 2003

Undrained shear strength of clay deposit is one of the most important properties in the design of geotechnical structures. The use of piezocone test is rapidly growing due to its merit that can measure the in-situ undrained shear strength continuously with less error. The reliability of the shear strength from piezocone test depends upon the cone factor applied. Many researchers have suggested different ranges of values for the factors. This study performs to find out the validity of the suggested values in Korea and their charateristics related to the mechanical properties of clay. Piezocone tests were performed at the site of pilot project of ground improvement at Yangsan-Mulgeum Gyeongnam to investigate the charateristics of piezocone factors. The piezocone fators$(N_{kt}, N_{ke}, N_{\Delta u})$ based on the undrained shear strength from quick triaxial compression test are generally within the suggested range. And there appears considerable relations between undrained shear strength and $(N_{kt}, N_{ke}, N_{\Delta u})$ and between preconsolidation pressure and $(N_{kt}, N_{ke})$, while plasticity index, rigidity index and friction ratio do not show any relations with cone factors. The results also reveal that factor $(N_{\Delta u})$ shows higher reliability than factors $(N_{kt} and N_{ke})$, which show smaller standard deviation, breadth of change and scattering.