• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.5-15
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• 2011

In this study, centrifuge model tests were performed to investigate stress concentration ratio, stress characteristics of soft clay ground improved by granular compaction piles with changes of piles type, loading condition and area replacement ratio. From the results of rigid loading tests, while vertical stresses acting on clay ground is similar, vertical stresses acting on GCP is larger than those acting on SCP with same replacement ratio. Also, average stress concentration ratio is increased proportionally with increasing the area replacement ratio of GCP and SCP. It was evaluated that average stress concentration ratio of soft clay ground improved by GCP is larger than that of SCP. As a result of flexible loading tests, stress concentration ratio is the highest when replacement ratio of GCP and SCP is 40%. Average stress concentration ratio of soft clay ground improved by GCP is a little more higher than is improved by SCP.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.131-141
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• 2007

Because pile behavior is governed by geotechnical characteristics of surrounding soils, it is therefore necessary to monitor ground responses during pile driving and analyze the relation between the behaviors of pile and ground. In this research, the 57 m long PHC pile was driven into deep soft clay in the Nakdong River estuary area. During and after the pile driving, the ground responses and the residual load of pile have been monitored for about a year, by using piezometers, inclinometers, level posts for surface settlement, and strain gauges in piles etc. As the results, the residual load by the negative skin friction along the pile increased with the dissipation of the excess pore pressure, which was developed by pile driving and reclamation. About 30% of the maximum residual load developed due to the dissipation of the increased excess pore pressure during the driving. It is thus emphasized that most piles driven in clay deposits need to be designed by considering negative skin friction along the pile.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers Conference
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• 1999.10c
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• pp.588-593
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• 1999

This study were performed to investigated the behavior of excessive pore water pressure with embankment of soft clay. The dissipation behavior of excessive pore water pressure in the improved and non-improved area was used to compare and alyze with lateral displacement , and to investigated the applicability of the methods for stability evaluatio of soft clay. The behavior of excess pore water pressure could be used to the fundamental data for stability evaluation, and the evaluation of the stability of embankment was recommended to use the indlination of curve rather than critical line.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.305-318
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• 2020

Stone columns are widely used to treat soft clay ground. Optimizing the design of stone columns based on cost-effectiveness is always an attractive subject in the practice of ground treatment. In this paper, the design of stone columns is optimized using the concept of robust geotechnical design. Standard deviation of failure probability, which is a system response of concern of the stone column-reinforced foundation, is used as a measure of the design robustness due to the uncertainty in the coefficient of variation (COV) of the noise factors in practice. The failure probability of a stone column-reinforced foundation can be readily determined using Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) based on the settlements of the stone column-reinforced foundation, which are evaluated by a deterministic method. A framework based on the concept of robust geotechnical design is proposed for determining the most preferred design of stone columns considering multiple objectives including safety, cost and design robustness. This framework is illustrated with an example, a stone column-reinforced foundation under embankment loading. Based on the outcome of this study, the most preferred design of stone columns is obtained.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.20 no.5 s.72
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• pp.49-56
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• 2006

In this thesis, centrifuge model experiments and numerical analyses were carried out to investigate the behavior of an excavated slope in soft clay ground. Centrifuge model tests were performed with various slopes for the excavated ground, such as 1:1.5 and 1:2. Pore pressuresthe model ground were measured to find their effects on the stability of the excavated slope. These experiments showed that the model with 1:2.5 maintained its stability within a short period of time and failed gradually. Therefore, anexcavated slope of soft soil with this slope might maintain stable conditions within a certain time. The mode1 with a 1:3 slope was observed to maintain a very stable condition, showing insignificant deformation in the ground after being excavated. Numerical analyses with PLAXIS, a commerciallyavailable software implemented with the finite element numerical technique, were performed to find the pore pressure distribution within the ground mass and the deformation of the soil. From the results of numerical analysis, a negative pore pressure was developed after the excavation and thus the stability of the slope was maintained. The safety factor for slope failure was found to decrease with time because of the dissipation of negative pore pressure with time.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.43-51
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• 2011

Marine clays are widely distributed in Korean eastern, western and southern coastal areas. Understanding engineering characteristics of the soft ground is very important, whenever civil structures are constructed in those coastal areas. It is because the ground is composed of highly compressible marine clay. In this paper, the physical and compression characteristics of Incheon, Mokpo, Gwangyang and Busan marine clay were analyzed and the characteristics between western and southern coastal marine clays were compared. For this, test results of 1,471 samples from 114 sites were used. As a result, Incheon clay showed the lowest plasticity and the highest unit weight due to influx of silt from the Yellow River and the turn of the tide of Incheon area. However, Gwangyang clay showed highly compressible characteristic due to extensive reclamation. On the other hand, Mokpo and Busan clay showed partially similar levels of characteristics. The compression index of Mokpo and Busan clay was high more than twice in comparison with Incheon clay and that of Gwangyang clay was higher than seventy percents in comparison with Mokpo and Busan clay.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.87-96
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• 2005

In this research, an attempt is made to derive the practical estimation of the degree of consolidation in soft clay from field measurements under embankments. For the practical estimation of pore water pressure in soft clay, the elasto-viscous rheological model was proposed, with a transform of parameters and a field geotechnical measurements in southern Korea. By using the rheological properties of soft clays and the dissipation of excess pore water pressure behaviour during step loading, a degree of consolidation or pore water pressure estimation in the future can be performed, and are shown to be generally close to the field measurements of pore water pressure. Finally, a pore water pressure behaviour in soft clay can be explained through measured data in field and the excess pore water pressure data can also be used to estimate settlement.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.9-18
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• 2021

In this study, the overconsolidation ratio (OCR) of soft clay soil was calculated by conducting an indoor physical experiment and a dynamics test using undisturbed soil samples from a soft clay soil field in South Korea. The OCR by depth was predicted by comparing the experimental results with the existing empirical equations. Methods using the liquidity index and the existing empirical equation by the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) were examined, and the results were compared with the actual measured values. The method using the liquidity index was found to be suitable for estimating the rough OCR of the ground. However, the effect of drying was not considered for the ground above the groundwater level. Therefore, an equation for the correlation equation between the depth and OCR of each region, including the ground above the groundwater level, was proposed. The proposed equation was applied to the OCR prediction of the adjacent area. The predicted values in the area composed of clay (CL, CH) were found to be in good agreement with the actual values. In the region composed of silt (ML), however, the predicted values were not consistent with the actual values. This suggests that the sedimentation and compositional characteristics, rather than the engineering characteristics of the soil, are important factors that affect the OCR prediction.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.707-726
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• 2015

This paper investigates the time dependent behaviour of Haarajoki test embankment on soft structured clay deposit. Half of the embankment is constructed on an area improved with prefabricated vertical drains, while the other half is constructed on the natural deposit without any ground improvement. To analyse the PVD-improved subsoil, axisymmetric vertical drains were converted into equivalent plane strain conditions using three different approaches. The construction and consolidation of the embankment are analysed with the finite element method using a recently developed anisotropic model for time-dependent behaviour of soft clays. The constitutive model, namely ACM-S accounts for combined effects of plastic anisotropy, interparticle bonding and degradation of bonds and creep. For comparison, the problem is also analysed with isotropic Soft Soil Creep and Modified Cam Clay models. The results of the numerical analyses are compared with the field measurements. The results show that neglecting effects of anisotropy, destructuration and creep may lead to inaccurate predictions of soft clay response. Additionally, the numerical results show that the matching methods accurately predict the consolidation behaviour of the embankment on PVD improved soft clays and provide a useful tool for engineering practice.

• Journal of Industrial Technology
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• v.23 no.A
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• pp.131-137
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• 2003

This thesis is results of centrifuge model experiments to investigate the behavior of replacement method in dredged and reclaimed ground. For experimental works, centrifuge model tests were carried out to investigate the behavior of replacement method in soft clay ground. Basic soil property tests were performed to find mechanical properties of clay soil sampled from the southern coast of Korea which was used for ground material in the centrifuge model tests. Reconstituted clay ground of model was prepared by applying preconsolidation pressure in 1g condition with specially built model container. Centrifuge model tests were carried out under the artificially accelerated gravitational level of 50g. Replacing material of leads having a certain degree of angularity was used and placed until the settlement of embankment of replacing material was reached to the equilibrium state. Vertical displacement of replacing material was monitored during tests. Depth and shape of replacement, especially the slope of penetrated replacing material and water contents of clay ground were measured after finishing tests. Model tests of investigating the stability of embankment after backfilling were also performed to simulate the behavior of the dike treated with replacement and backfilled with sandy material. As a result of centrifuge model test, the behavior of replacement, the mechanism of the replacing material being penetrated into clay ground and depth of replacement were evaluated.