• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.33 no.6
• /
• pp.625-633
• /
• 2023

The volume changes associated with moisture or suction variation in expansive soils are of geotechnical and geoenvironmental design concern. These changes can impact the performance of infrastructure projects and lightweight structures. Assessment of unsaturated function for these materials leads to better interpretation and understanding, as well as providing accurate and economic design. In this study, expansive soils from different regions of Saudi Arabia were studied for their basic properties including gradation, plasticity and shrinkage, swelling, and consolidation characteristics. The unsaturated soil functions of saturated water content, air-entry values, and residual states were determined by conducting the tests for the entire soil water characteristic curves (SWCC) using different techniques. An attempt has been made to provide a prediction model for unsaturated properties based on the basic properties of these soils. Once the profile of SWCC has been predicted the time and cost for many tests can be saved. These predictions can be utilized in practice for the application of unsaturated soil mechanics on geotechnical and geoenvironmental projects.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.156-160
• /
• 1997

The combination of biological wastewater treatment process and membrane separation has many advantages such as better effluent quality and system stability over the conventional biological wastewater treatment process. In this study, direct membrane separation using nonwoven fabric was applied to biological wastewater treatment. A nonwoven fabric module was submerged in the aerated bioreactor. And accumulated biomass in the bioreactor was separated by suction. The system was operated with various condition to investigate pollutant removal efficiencies and flux. After formation of biomass layer on nonwoven fabric surface, a day, the stable effluent water quality was obtained. The flux decreased at a high suction pressure faster than a low pressure. The stable flux was obtained at the pressure of $21{\sim}25cmHg$. In spite of variation of hydraulic retention time, organic loading rate, the removal efficiencies of BOD, $COD_{Cr}$. $COD_{Mn}$ were very high as follows : $95.2%(0.14{\sim}0.97\;BODKg/m^3/day)$, $86.0%(0.17{\sim}1.39\;COD_{Cr}Kg/m^3/day)$, $90.0%(0.097{\sim}0.61\;COD_{Mn}Kg/m^3/day)$.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
• /
• v.10 no.3
• /
• pp.13-20
• /
• 2009

Generally, soil is regarded as fully saturated in Geotechnical Engineering and under ground structure design. Because it is in convenience and safety. But soils treated in field are almost in unsaturated state. Design in unsaturated state is difficult comparing with saturated soil. In unsaturated soil mechanics, parameters are usually not constant unlike saturated soil mechanics. Additionally lab or field tests in unsaturated soil mechanics are required more cost, time and theoretical difficulty. One of essential requisites for examination about unsaturated soil is Soil-Water Characteristic Curve (SWCC). It show the relation between soil suction and soil water content. Through many studies in and out of country, computation and testing methods for SWCC were introduced. But in this the country, most soil is granite soil that is widely spread in Korea. And the studies for granite soil's SWCC are not enough yet. In this paper, through studying for existing proposal methods about computation SWCC and collection data for domestic granite soils, It was determined the suitable method for domestic granite soils, and computed each granite soil's SWCC. The purpose of this paper is establishing database for domestic granite soil's SWCC as each region to convenience for applying to actual affairs. For this, studying about existing proposal methods for SWCC was performed and a computer program Soil-Vision is used. Furthermore for verification theoretical and testing methods were also performed.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.91-100
• /
• 2012

Soil-water characteristic curves (SWCCs), which represent a physical property in partially saturated soils, show the relation between volumetric water content and matric suction. The SWCCs exhibit hysteresis during wetting and drying, however experimental expressions used to describe SWCCs have generally ignored the hysteresis. In addition, the shape of SWCC may depend on the void ratio which is changed by soil skeleton deformations or hysteretic behavior under various loading conditions. Hence, it is necessary to understand, both empirically and analytically, the relationship between soil skeleton deformations and the SWCCs of various soils. The typical SWCCs experimentally have drying, wetting, and the second drying curve. The measurement of a complete set of hysteretic curves is severely time-consuming and difficult works, then the first drying curve of SWCC is generally determined to estimate the hydraulic conductivity and shear strength function of partially saturated soils. This paper presents the hydraulic-mechanical behavior of partially saturated soils (weathered soil and silty soil) for volume changes and hysteresis in SWCCs regarding the difference between the first drying and wetting curve.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.28 no.11
• /
• pp.41-52
• /
• 2012

Suction drain method can directly apply vacuum pressure to the soft ground through vertical drains so it can make hardening zones around them. These hardening zones make steeply lower the discharge efficiency of the pore water with decreasing permeability. This paper considered a stepped vacuum pressure to minimize a hardening zone which is one of the important parameters that can decrease discharge efficiency. A series of laboratory tests were conducted in order to examine the effect of the hardening zones and to evaluate their effects to the ground improvements with varying durations which applied stepped vacuum pressures(-20kPa, -40kPa, -60kPa and -80kPa) with Busan marine clay. According to strength(CPT), water content test and theoretical investigation indicate a size of the hardening zone within 7cm and the decreasing ratio of permeability about 2.0~4.0. Also, the total settlements are larger for the stepped vacuum pressure than the instant vacuum loading. The application time with vacuum pressure is determined considering the geotechnical properties of the interested clays. Results of numerical analysis show that consolidation behavior is appropriate to measurement for considering hardening zones.

• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
• /
• v.1996 no.05
• /
• pp.84-87
• /
• 1996

We have been developed electrohydraulic left ventricular assist device and done various in vivo evaluation on the device. Through the in vivo experiment conducted from Jan. 23, 1996 to Feb. 8, we could have experience of long-term evaluation fur the first time. The sheep used in this experiment had survived for 16 days. We used new actuator with reduced size and linear motion guide replacing oil box and ball bearings. Also, we used improved blood chamber with reduced size, reduced weight facilitating fixing the chamber to animal's body, and polymer sac having improved folding pattern. Against suction problem, we used absolute pressure limiter only. Motor current for driving this new actuator was not much higher than older one. Effective stroke volume was about 48 cc. Thrombosis was found around top area and peripheral boundary of the sac and valves. There was no sign of damage from suction problem in the atrium observed at autopsy. Main cause of death was presumed to be progressive formation of thrombosis in the cannulae. In this paper, the results of this experiment are documented.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.25 no.5
• /
• pp.53-64
• /
• 2009

Many slope failures are induced by rainfall infiltration. A lot of recent researches are therefore focused on rainfall-induced slope instability and the rainfall infiltration is recognized as the important triggering factor. The rainfall infiltrates into the soil slope and makes the matric suction lost in the slope and even the positive pore water pressure develops near the surface of the slope. They decrease the resisting shear strength. In Korea, a few public institutions suggested conservative slope design guidelines that assume a fully saturated soil condition. However, this assumption is irrelevant and sometimes soil properties are misused in the slope design method to fulfill the requirement. In this study, a more relevant slope stability evaluation method is suggested to take into account the real rainfall infiltration phenomenon. Unsaturated soil properties such as shear strength, soil-water characteristic curve and permeability for Korean weathered soils were obtained by laboratory tests and also estimated by artificial neural network models. For real-time assessment of slope instability, failure warning criteria of slope based on deterministic and probabilistic analyses were introduced to complement uncertainties of field measurement data. The slope stability evaluation technique can be combined with field measurement data of important factors, such as matric suction and water content, to develop an early warning system for probably unstable slopes due to the rainfall.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.641-652
• /
• 1995

Working as nurses, authors found that some patients were not content with their hospital life. Some patients wanted to move to another ward, and others complained about their ward atmosphere. In spite of patients' discomfort, nurses didn't know what made some patients complain about their ward. So, authors tried to find factors that influence atmosphere of hospital wards of the neurosurgery patients. To know the atmosphere of wards, authors selected five neurosurgery ward of a university hospital in Seoul. Observation took a month. An author observed using molar approach, in the morning, in the day time, and in evening time. Authors used concealment /no intervention technique. An author checked condition of people in the wards, and observed their verbal and nonverbal communication behavior their activities and environmental characteristics, and interpreted their meaning through ethnographic research methodology by Spradly. Authors found there was an important factors that influence the atmosphere of ward. It was a human and his attitude. At least one person who was willing to help others made ward atmosphere better. Helping others physically whenever needed, sup-porting the depressed emotionally, offering foods, or talking to others friendly brought good atmosphere. On the contrary, if everyone was indiffernt to others, the atmosphere became cold. Self-centered or selfish behaviors such as occupying too much area, using the toilet too long, covering other's suction bottle without permission and seeing others delicate or urinate were hurtful. In addition to the attitude of patients and their families, unkindness of medical teams including nurses and doctors and tasteless meal caused bad ward atmosphere. Based on this research finding, authors suggest the followings. A For the better atmosphere of ward 1. Nurses should try to make the ward atmosphere better by introducing new patient to older ones. 2. Every ward should have dividing curtains to keep patient's privacy. 3. All hospital personnel should be kind enough to make patients feel that they are repected. 4. Hospital should serve high quality meals to patients. 5. Patients had better stay with those in the similar condition. B. For the future studies 1. Repeated researches are necessary to check reliability of this results. 2. Researches for patients in different area such as ICU, or hemodialysis unit are necessary.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
• /
• v.39 no.1
• /
• pp.61-69
• /
• 2015

The objective of this study is to experimentally investigate the mixed flow behaviors and oxygen transfer characteristics of a vertical orifice ejector. The experimental apparatus consisted of an electric motor-pump, an orifice ejector, a circulation water tank, an air compressor, a high speed camera unit and control or measurement accessories. The mass ratio was calculated using the measured primary flow rate and suction air flow rate with experimental parameters. The visualization images of vertically injected mixed jet issuing from the orifice ejector were qualitatively analyzed. The volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient was calculated using the measured dissolved oxygen concentration. At a constant primary flow rate, the mass ratio and oxygen transfer coefficient increase with the air pressure of compressor. At a constant air pressure of the compressor, the mass ratio decreases and the oxygen transfer coefficient increases as the primary flow rate increases. The residence time and dispersion of fine air bubbles and the penetration of mixed flow were found to be important parameters for the oxygen transfer rate owing to the contact area and time of two phases.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.47-58
• /
• 2012

Dynamic behaviors of a corrugated steel plate tunnel lining system are examined under wind loads due to passing vehicles. Applied wind loads are simulated by applying the time functions as a vehicle moves through the tunnel. Wind loads are described by the pressure and suction as a vehicle arrives and leaves target positions in the tunnel. The tunnel lining is modeled using the simplified shell elements that retain the characteristics of the corrugated shapes. The displacements of the tunnel lining are evaluated under various conditions regarding wind velocity and the passing vehicles. The responses are found to increase as the vehicle velocity and wind velocity increase. A maximum displacement of 25mm occurs when two vehicles are crossing at the speed of 120km/h. A row of vehicles running consecutively minimally affects the dynamic responses with less than 2.5% of the dynamic responses enlarged and attributed to one running vehicle. It should be noted that the dynamic responses of the tunnel lining should be considered when there is no shotcrete applied.