• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.739-756
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• 2016

The shear strength reduction finite element method (SSRFEM) is a powerful tool for slope stability analysis. The factor of safety (FOS) of the slope can be easily calculated only through reducing effective cohesion (c′) and tangent of effective friction angle ($tan{\varphi}^{\prime}$) in equal proportion. However, this method may not be applicable to soil slope under wetting-drying cycles (WDCs), because the influence of WDCs on c′ and $tan{\varphi}^{\prime}$ may be different. To research the method of estimating FOS of soil slopes under WDCs, this paper presents an experimental study firstly to investigate the effects of WDCs on the parameters of shear strength and stiffness. Twelve silty clay samples were subjected to different number of WDCs and then tested with triaxial test equipment. The test results show that WDCs have a degradation effect on shear strength (${\sigma}_1-{\sigma}_3)_f$, secant modulus of elasticity ($E_s$) and c′ while little influence on ${\varphi}^{\prime}$. Hence, conventional SSRFEM which reduces c′ and $tan{\varphi}^{\prime}$ in equal proportion cannot be adopted to compute the FOS of slope under conditions of WDCs. The SSRFEM should be modified. In detail, c′ is merely reduced among shear strength parameters, and elasticity modulus is reduced correspondingly. Besides, a new approach based on sudden substantial changes in the displacement of marked nodes is proposed to identify the slope failure in SSRFEM. Finally, the modified SSRFEM is applied to compute the FOS of a slope example.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.30 no.11
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• pp.5-15
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• 2014

It is very important to design and construct slopes safely because damage cases are increasing due to slope failure. Recently, Limit Equilibrium Method (LEM) based programs are commonly used for slope designs. Though LEM can give factors of safety through simple calculation, it has a disadvantage that the sliding surface should be assumed in advance. On the other hand, the use of Finite Difference Method (FDM) is increasing since the factor of safety can be easily estimated by using shear strength reduction technique. Therefore the purpose of this study is to present a reasonable slope design methodology by comparing the two commonly used analysis approaches; LEM and FDM. To this end, the reinforcement effects of the two methods were compared in terms of the support pattern of soil nailing reinforced in the section where plane failure is anticipated. As a result, the reinforcement effects by nail angle and nail spacing turned out to be equal. Also it was found that the factor of safety increased in LEM, but not changed in FDM when the nail length increased.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.131-138
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• 2021

The armor blocks are used to protect the body of the structure and dissipate wave energies, so it is crucial to evaluate the stability of the armor unit. The stability of armor blocks has been mainly evaluated through empirical coefficients called the stability coefficient obtained from hydraulic model experiments. In this study, a new type of single-layered armor block called K-Block was proposed, and a new experimental method based on the pull-out force was proposed to evaluate the stability of the armor unit, including the interlocking effects. The pull-out force test proposed in this study directly measures the force required to separate the armor unit from the armored layer on the slope by applying a tensile force in the vertical and horizontal directions to the installed armor unit. The proposed experimental method confirmed that the interlocking effects of the armor block could be quantitatively evaluated, and the high stability of the K-Block was verified.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.101 no.1
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• pp.130-137
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• 2012

This study has conducted to develop new gabion wall systems with vegetation base materials for stream bank stability and rapid rehabilitation. Vegetation base materials are primarily compounded with fine soil, organic composts and peat moss as plant fibers, a water retainer and a soil improver. Normally gabion wall systems resist the lateral earth pressures or stream power by their own weight. Therefore, fill material must have suitable weight, compressive strength and durability to resist the loading, as well as the effects of water and weathering. In this project, 100 to 200-mm clean, hard stones are basically specified, and about 50-mm rubbles are also used. Test application of new gabion wall system carried out in the stream bank of a small stream in the Gwangreung experimental forest, belonging to Korea Forest Research Institute (KFRI) in December 16th, 2006. As a result of the analysis of hydraulic stability of new gabion wall system, gabion wall system has highest threshold shear stress when the gabion wall covered by vegetation. New gabion wall system is highly resistant to sliding and overturning because safety coefficients exceed 1.5. As a result of term of slope stability analysis of new gabion wall system by Bishop and Fellenius methods, stability of stream bank was highly increased after the construction of gabion wall. Therefore, new gabion wall system is effective to stabilize unstable stream bank.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 1991.10a
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• pp.75-86
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• 1991

In this paper the failure of Carsington Dam was discussed based on the informations reported in the first edition of Korean Geotechnical Society News. The causes of dam failure and its influences were evaluated based on the results of the slope stability analysis. The effects of the shear strain pre-existing in the yellow clay disclosed by the post-failure site investigation and the progressive nature of the dam failure were preponderantly evaluated. Stability analysis was performed based on the proposed values of strength parameters characterizing possible field ground conditions at failure. The calculated safety factors were evaluated for different cases of strength parameters in order to find the most probable field ground condition at the dam failue.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.535-545
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• 2022

Improving the stability of the ground in seismic design requires an understanding of the dynamic behavior of the ground under seismic loads. The shaking table test is an important methodology to provide this understanding. This study aimed to assess the influence on boundary conditions, as they are among the most important factors affecting the test. This was achieved by testing the influence of boundary conditions on the seismic responses of model slopes at different locations in the testing apparatus. A model slope was fabricated at different locations in a laminar shear box, and the influence of the boundary conditions was then measured. Each model slope was created at 100, 50, and 25 cm from the soil wall, and sine wave seismic loads of the same size were inputted. The results confirmed that the acceleration was amplified by the influence of the boundary in the case of the slope being located 25 cm from the boundary, whereas the influence of the boundary conditions decreased when the slope was located at 50~100 cm.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.481-491
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• 2020

Piles installed in row(s) are used as an effective technique to improve the stability of soil slopes. The analysis of pile-stabilized slopes require a reliable prediction of lateral resistance offered by the piles. In this work, an analytical solution is developed to estimate the lateral resistance offered by the stabilizing piles in sand and c - 𝜙 soil slopes considering soil arching phenomenon. The soil arching in both horizontal direction (between the neighboring piles) and vertical direction (in the active wedge in front of the pile row) are studied and their effects are incorporated in the proposed model. The shape of soil arch is assumed to be circular and principal stress trajectories are defined separately for both modes of arching. Experimental and numerical studies found in literature were used to validate the proposed method. A detailed parametric analysis was performed to study the influence of pile diameter, center-to-center spacing, slope angle and angle of internal friction on the lateral pile resistance.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.15-22
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• 1985

The author has studied the collapse of a slope with seepage occuring in sand model with a trapezodial cross section. The primary objective of this study was to examine the failure phenomenon of embankment with respect to change in void pressure at embankment slope. The contents of this experiments are as follows; 1) Determination of exit point by seepage line. 2) Evaluation of partial failure at exit point. 3) The effects of seepage force at embankment.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.47-55
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• 2012

This work deals with dynamic analysis of a monorail system with magnetic caterpillar where magnets are embedded inside each articulated element of the caterpillar, augmenting traction force of main rubber wheels to climb up slope up to 15 degree grade. Considerations are first given to determine stiffness of the primary and secondary suspension springs in order for the natural frequencies of car body and bogie associated with vertical, pitch, roll and yaw motion to be within generally accepted range of 1-2 Hz. Equations for calculating magnetic force needed to climb up given slope are derived, and a magnetic caterpillar system for 1/6 scale monorail is designed based on the derivation. To assess the hill climbing ability and cornering stability, and make sure smooth operation of the side and vertical guiding wheels which is critical for safety, a multibody model that takes into account of every component level design characteristics of car, bogie, and caterpillar is set up. Through hill climbing simulation and comparison with measurement of the limit slope, the validity of the analysis and design of the magnetic caterpillar system are demonstrated. Also by studying the curving behavior, maximum curving speed without rollover, functioning of lateral motion constraint system, the effects of geometry of guiding rails are studied.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2008.10a
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• pp.893-903
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• 2008

A method for predicting surface failures which occur during heavy rainfall on mountain slopes is proposed by using the digital land form model that is obtained by reading altitude on a topographical map at 10m grid point space. A depth of a potential failure layer is assumed at each grid point. In the layer, an infiltrated water movement from cell to cell is modeled in the study (cell is a square of the grid). Infiltrated ground water levels which show the three dimensional effects of a topographical factor in an area can be hourly calculated at every cell by the model. The safety factor of every cell is also calculated every hour by the infinite slope stability analysis method with the obtained infiltrated ground water level. Failure potential delineation is defined here as the time when the safety factor becomes less than unity under the assumptions that effective rainfall is 20mm/h and continues 20 hours.