• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.245-253
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• 2020

In this study, natural frequencies are compared using several pile-soil interaction (PSI) models to evaluate the effects of each model on resonance safety checks for a monopile type of wind turbine structure. Base spring, distributed spring, and three-dimensional brick-shell models represented the PSIs in the finite element model. To analyze the effects of the PSI models on a natural frequency, after a stiffness matrix calculation and Winkler-based beam model for base spring and distributed spring models were presented, respectively; natural frequencies from these models were investigated for monopiles with different geometries and soil properties. These results were compared with those from the brick-shell model. The results show that differences in the first natural frequency of the monopiles from each model are small when the small diameter of monopile penetrates hard soil and rock, while the distributed spring model can over-estimate the natural frequency for large monopiles installed in weak soil. Thus, an appropriate PSI model for natural frequency analyses should be adopted by considering soil conditions and structure scale.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.165-173
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• 2010

Soil respiration ($R_S$) is a critical component of the annual carbon balance of forests, but few studies thus far have attempted to evaluate empirical regression models in $R_S$. The principal objectives of this study were to evaluate the relationship between $R_S$ rates and soil temperature (ST) and soil water content (SWC) in soil from a cool-temperate deciduous broad-leaved forest, and to evaluate empirical regression models for the prediction of $R_S$ using ST and SWC. We have been measuring $R_S$, using an open-flow gas-exchange system with an infrared gas analyzer during the snowfree season from 1999 to 2001 at the Takayama Forest, Japan. To evaluate the empirical regression models used for the prediction of $R_S$, we compared a simple exponential regression (flux = $ae^{bt}$Eq. [1]) and two polynomial multiple-regression models (flux = $ae^{bt}{\times}({\theta}{\nu}-c){\times}(d-{\theta}{\nu})^f:$ Eq. [2] and flux = $ae^{bt}{\times}(1-(1-({\theta}{\nu}/c))^2)$: Eq. [3]) that included two variables (ST: t and SWC: ${\theta}{\nu}$) and that utilized hourly data for $R_S$. In general, daily mean $R_S$ rates were positively well-correlated with ST, but no significant correlations were observed with any significant frequency between the ST and $R_S$ rates on periods of a day based on the hourly $R_S$ data. Eq. (2) has many more site-specific parameters than Eq. (3) and resulted in some significant underestimation. The empirical regression, Eq. (3) was best explained by temporal variations, as it provided a more unbiased fit to the data compared to Eq. (2). The Eq. (3) (ST $\times$ SWC function) also increased the predictive ability as compared to Eq. (1) (only ST exponential function), increasing the $R^2$ from 0.71 to 0.78.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.66-73
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• 2017

Empirical erosion models like Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) models have been widely used to make spatially distributed soil erosion vulnerability maps. Even if the models detect vulnerable sites relatively well utilizing big data related to climate, geography, geology, land use, etc within study domains, they do not adequately describe the physical process of soil erosion on the ground surface caused by rainfall or overland flow. In other words, such models are still powerful tools to distinguish the erosion-prone areas at large scale, but physics-based models are necessary to better analyze soil erosion and deposition as well as the eroded particle transport. In this study a physics-based soil erosion modeling system was developed to produce both runoff and sediment yield time series at watershed scale and reflect them in the erosion and deposition maps. The developed modeling system consists of 3 sub-systems: rainfall pre-processor, geography pre-processor, and main modeling processor. For modeling system validation, we applied the system for various erosion cases, in particular, rainfall-runoff-sediment yield simulation and estimation of probable maximum sediment (PMS) correlated with probable maximum rainfall (PMP). The system provided acceptable performances of both applications.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.247-258
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• 2020

The shear strength of unsaturated soils, a research hotspot in geotechnical engineering, has great guiding significance for geotechnical engineering design. Although kinds of calculation models for the shear strength of unsaturated soil have been put forward by predecessors, there is still need for new models to extensively consider the nonlinear variation of shear strength, particularly for the nonlinear effect of the net normal stress on the shear strength of unsaturated soil. Here, the shear strength of unsaturated soils is explored to study the nonlinear effects of net normal stress with the introduction of a general nonlinear Mohr-Coulomb (M-C) strength criterion, and the relationship between the matric suction (or suction stress) and degree of saturation (DOS) constructed by the soil-water characteristics curve (SWCC) of van Genuchten is also applied for unsaturated soil. Then, two calculation models (i.e., an envelope shell model and an effective stress model) are established for the shear strength of unsaturated soils under the nonlinear strength theory. In these two models, the curve of the shear strength of unsaturated soils versus the net normal stress exhibits a tendency to gently. Moreover, the proposed formulas have flexibility and convenience with five parameters (for the effective stress model) or six parameters (for the envelope shell model), which are from the M-C strength parameters of the saturated soil and fitting parameters of SWCC of van Genuchten. Thereafter, by comparison with the classical theory of the shear strength of unsaturated soils from some actual cases, the rationality and accuracy of the present models were verified.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.727-741
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• 2014

The functionally graded beam (FGB) is investigated in this study on both dynamic and static loading in case of resting on a soil medium rather than on the usual Winkler-Pasternak elastic foundation. The powerful ABAQUS software was used to model the problem applying finite element method. In the present study, two different soil models are taken into account. In the first model, the soil is assumed to be an elastic plane stress medium. In the second soil model, the Drucker-Prager yield criterion, which is one of the most well-known elastic-perfectly plastic constitutive models, is used for modelling the soil medium. The results are shown to evaluate the effects of the different soil models, stiffness values of the elastic soil medium on the normal and shear stress and free vibration properties. A comparison was made to those from the existing literature. Numerical results show that considering real soil as a continuum space affects the results of the bending and the modal properties significantly.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.31 no.3B
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• pp.221-232
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• 2011

Applicability of three soil erosion models for burnt hillslopes was evaluated. The models were estimated with the data from plots established after tremendous wildfire occurred in the east coastal region. Soil erosion and surface runoff were simulated by the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) and the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) of application mode for disturbed forest areas and the Soil Erosion Model for Mountain Areas (SEMMA) developed for burnt hillslopes. Simulated sediment yield and surface runoff were compared with the measured those. In maximum value of sediment yield, three models was under-predicted and RUSLE and WEPP had difference of over two times. SEMMA showed the best model response coefficient, determination coefficient and the model efficiency. In application of models to the soil erosion according to the elapsed year after wildfire, all models were underestimated in initial stage disturbed by wildfire. Evaluation of models in this burnt hillslopes was shown the tends to under-predict soil erosion for larger measured values. Although a lot of sediment can be generated in small rainfall event as fine-grained soil of the high water repellency was exposed excessively right after wildfire, this under-prediction was shown that those models have a limit to estimate the weighted factors by wildfire.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.71-88
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• 2010

Soil nailing technique is being widely used for stabilization of vertical cuts because of its economic, environment friendly and speedy construction. Global stability and lateral displacement are the two important stability criteria for the soil nail walls. The primary objective of the present study is to evaluate soil nail wall stability criteria under the influence of in-situ soil variability. Finite element based numerical experiments are performed in accordance with the methodology of $2^3$ factorial design of experiments. Based on the analysis of the observations from numerical experiments, two regression models are developed, and used for reliability analyses of global stability and lateral displacement of the soil nail wall. A 10 m high prototype soil nail wall is considered for better understanding and to highlight the practical implications of the present study. Based on the study, lateral displacements beyond 0.10% of vertical wall height and variability of in-situ soil parameters are found to be critical from the stability criteria considerations of the soil nail wall.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.145-152
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• 2017

The analytical method is used to develop new models for an elevated tank to estimate its natural period. The equivalent mass- spring method is used to configure the developed analytical models. Also direct method is used for numerical verification. The current study shows that developed models can have a good estimation of natural period compared with concluded results of finite elements. Additional results show that, the dependency of impulsive period to soil stiffness condition is higher than convective period. Furthermore results show that considering the fluid- structure- soil interaction has remarkable effects on natural impulsive and convective periods in case of hard to very soft soil.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Electromagnetic Engineering and Science
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• v.17 no.12 s.115
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• pp.1172-1180
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• 2006

The backscattering coefficients of a bare soil surface were measured using an R-band polarimetric scatterometer, which were used to verify the validities of scattering models and inversion algorithms. The soil moisture contents and the surface roughness parameters (the RMS height and correlation length) were also measured from the soil surface. The backscattering coefficients were obtained from several scattering models with these surface parameters, and the computation results were compared with the measured backscattering coefficients. The soil moisture contents of the surface were retrieved from the measured backscattering coefficients, and compared with the measured surface parameters. This paper shows how well the scattering models agree with the measurements, and also shows the inversion results.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.397-409
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• 2023

This study examines two traditional approaches (non-linear elastic and elasto-plastic) in association with 2D and 3D FEM analyses of a box-section pile embedded in sand. A particular emphasis is placed on stress singularities concerning both reentrant corners of the pile section and the resulting tension zones. From the experience gained in this study, non-linear elastic soil models are less restrictive when one considers stress singularities and their possible effects on convergence of the solution. At least for monotonic loading, when compared with field tests, non-linear elastic models yield better results than the plasticity ones. On the other hand, although elasto-plastic models are not limited to monotonic loading, they are much more sensitive to stress singularities. For this reason, a spherical elastic region is necessary at the pile tip to ensure convergence. Without this region, one must artificially impose an apparent cohesion to limit the tension stresses within a sand medium.