• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.19-23
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• 2022

For the substantiation and verification of studies related to the construction of a levee using riverbed soil, real-scale levee construction and experimental studies are essential. One of the most important factors in the experimental study is the reproducibility of the multiple levees with the same initial conditions. Quantitative analysis of the reproducibility should be presented. In this study, a number of physical properties (specific gravity test, sieving test, liquid-plastic limit test, compaction test, on-site Density test) for multiple embankments built with fine-grained bed soil was obtained. The collected data then used to obtain the possibility of reproducing levee through statistical analysis to suggest a process of indicating a numeric initial condition of the real-scale test. As a result of statistical analysis to verify the aforementioned process, it was confirmed that it was possible to quantitatively evaluate the reproducibility of the construction under the same conditions of embankments. This is expected to be a basic data for a full-scale embankment test using riverbed soil including other soil based real-scale tests.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2023

The unconfined compression strength (UCS) of soils is commonly used either before or during the construction of geo-structures. In the pre-design stage, UCS as a mechanical property is obtained through a laboratory test that requires cumbersome procedures and high costs from in-situ sampling and sample preparation. As an alternative way, the empirical model established from limited testing cases is used to economically estimate the UCS. However, many parameters affecting the 1D soil compression response hinder employing the traditional statistical analysis. In this study, gene expression programming (GEP) is adopted to develop a prediction model of UCS with common affecting soil properties. A total of 79 undisturbed soil samples are collected, of which 54 samples are utilized for the generation of a predictive model and 25 samples are used to validate the proposed model. Experimental studies are conducted to measure the unconfined compression strength and basic soil index properties. A performance assessment of the prediction model is carried out using statistical checks including the correlation coefficient (R), the root mean square error (RMSE), the mean absolute error (MAE), the relatively squared error (RSE), and external criteria checks. The prediction model has achieved excellent accuracy with values of R, RMSE, MAE, and RSE of 0.98, 10.01, 7.94, and 0.03, respectively for the training data and 0.92, 19.82, 14.56, and 0.15, respectively for the testing data. From the sensitivity analysis and parametric study, the liquid limit and fine content are found to be the most sensitive parameters whereas the sand content is the least critical parameter.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.12 no.2 s.25
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• pp.107-113
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• 2006

Water treatment plant sludge occurred in sedimentation and inverse wash process is generally disposed by ocean dumping or reclamation after dehydration processing using mechanical or natural dry method. Recently, ocean dumping of sludge is limited actually by London Convention. Physical, chemical, and geotechnical characteristics of water treatment plant sludge were analyzed by experiments. The possibilities for recycling of the dehydration sludges as materials for covering sanitary landfill were examined. Experiments performed with sludges mixed with general soil to improved the sludge properties are the hydrometer analysis, the liquid and plastic limit test, the specific gravity test, the compaction test, and the unconfined compression test. The value of ${\gamma}_{dmax}$ is increased and OMC(Optimum Moisture Content) is lessened with mixed sludge. The value of maximum compressive strength and friction angle are increased and the cohesion is decreased with mixed sludge. The ratio between sludge and soil in mixed sludge was 3:7 and the strength of mixed sludge showed $3.6kg/cm^2$. These results satisfy the regulation of U.S. E.P.A regarding materials for covering sanitary landfill.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.297-310
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• 2010

This study represents basic research into the utilization of mixed ash (fly ash and bottom ash) from the ash pond of the Taean Thermal Power Plant as a construction material. We conducted physical and mechanical experiments on the mixed ash and examined its engineering characteristics in terms of its use as a material for road landfill and structure backfill. We evaluated the physical and chemical characteristics of the ash by performing tests to determine specific gravity, maximum and minimum density, liquid limit and plastic limit, grain size distribution, composition (by X-ray diffraction), and loss on ignition. We also evaluated the mechanical characteristics by testing for permeability, compaction, CBR, and tri-axial compression. The experiments on the mixed ash yielded a specific gravity of 2.18-2.20, dry density of $9.38-13.32\;kN/m^3$, modified CBR of 16.5%-21%, permeability coefficient of 1.32 to $1.89-10^{-4}cm/sec$, and drained friction angle of $36.43^{\circ}-41.39^{\circ}$. The physical and mechanical properties of the mixed ash do not meet the quality standards stipulated for road landfill and structure backfill materials. Mixed ash with a high content of fly ash failed to meet some of the quality standards. Therefore, in order to utilize the mixed ash as a material for road landfill and structure backfill, it is necessary to improve its properties by mixing with bottom ash.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.53-68
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• 1981

Most clays under sustained load exhibit time-dependent deformation because of creep movement of soil particles and many investigators have attempted to relate their findings to the creep behavior of natural ground and to the long-term stability of slopes. Since the creep behavior of clays may assume a variety of forms depending on such factors as soil plasticity, activity and water content, it is difficult and complicated to analyse the creep behavior of clays. Rheological models composed of linear springs in combination with linear or nonlinear dashpots and sliders, are generally used for the mathematical description of the time-dependent behavior of soils. Most rheological models, however, have been proposed to simulate the behavior of secondary compression for saturated clays and few definitive data exist that can evaluate the behavior of non-saturated clays under the action of sustained stress. The clays change gradually from a solid state through plastic state to a liquid state with increasing water content, therefore, the rheological models also change. On the other hand, creep is time-dependent, and also the effect of thixotropy is time-function. Consequently, there may be certain correlations between creep behavior and the effects of thixotropy in compacted clays. In addition, the states of clay depend on water content and hence the height of the specimen under drained conditions. Futhermore, based on present and past studies, because immediate elastic deformation occurs instantly after the pressure increment without time-delayed behavior, the factor representing immediate elastic deformations in the rheological model is necessary. The investigation described in this paper, based on rheological model, is designed to identify the immediate elastic deformations and the effects of thixotropy and height of clay specimens with varing water content and stress level on creep deformations. For these purposes, the uniaxial drain-type creep tests were performed. Test results and data for three compacted clays have shown that a linear top spring is needed to account for immediate elastic deformations in the rheological model, and at lower water content below the visco-plastic limit, the effects of thixotropy and height of clay specimens can be represented by the proposed rheological model not considering the effects. Therefore, the rheological model does not necessitate the other factors representing these effects. On the other hand, at water content higher than the visco-plastic limit, although the state behavior of clays is visco-plastic or viscous flow at the beginning of the test, the state behavior, in the case of the lower height sample, does not represent the same behavior during the process of the test, because of rapid drainage. In these cases, the rheological model does not coincide with the model in the case of the higher specimens.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.16 no.4 s.50
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• pp.359-371
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• 2006

In this study, the soil characteristics are analyzed using the result of various soil tests as an object of the soil layer of natural slopes in landslides areas composed with gneiss, granite, and the tertiary sedimentary rock. To investigate the soil characteristics according to landslide and non landslide areas, soils are sampled from Jangheung, Sangju and Pohang. The landslides at three areas are occurred due to heavy rainfall in same time. The geology of Jangheung area, Sangju area and Pohang area is gneiss, granite, and the tertiary sedimentary rock, respectively. On the basis of the landslide data and the result of soil test, the soil characteristics at the landslide area and the differentiation between landslide area and non landslide area are analyzed. However soil characteristics have a little differentiation to geological condition, the uniformity coefficient and the coefficient of gradation of soils at the landslide area is larger than those of soils at the non landslide area. Also, the proportion of fine particle of soils at the landslide area is higher. The plastic limit of soils sampled from the granite and the sedimentary rock regions is larger than that sampled from the gneiss region. However the liquid limit is irrelevant to the geological condition. Also, the consistency of soils at the landslide area is smaller. The natural moisture content of soils in the sedimentary rock regions is larger than that of the granite and gneiss. It is mainly influenced by mineral composition, soil layer structure, weathering condition, and so on. The soils sampled from landslide area have higher porosity and lower density than those from non landslide area. It means that the soils of landslide area have poor particle size distribution and loose density. Therefore, the terrain slope with poor distribution and loose density is vulnerable to occur in landslides. Also, landslides are occurred in the terrain slope with high permeability. The permeability is mainly influenced by the soil characteristics such as particle size distribution, porosity, particle structure, and the geological origins such as weathering, sedimentary environment. Meanwhile, the shear strength of soils is little difference according to the geological condition. But, the internal friction angle of soils sampled from the landslide area is lower than that of soils from the non landslide area. Therefore, the terrain slope with low internal friction angle is more vulnerable to the landslide.