• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.55-73
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• 2014

The theoretical predictions of ground movements induced by tunnelling are usually based on the assumptions that the subsoil has the same soil densities. The theoretical prediction does not consider the impact of different sand soil types on the surface settlement due to tunnelling. The finite elements analysis (FEA) considers stress and strength parameters of the different sand soil densities. The tunnel construction requires the solution of large soil-structure interaction problem. In the present study, the FEA is used to model soil-tunnel system performance based on a case study to discuss surface displacement due to tunnelling. The Greater Cairo metro tunnel (Line 3) is considered in the present study as case study. The surface displacements obtained by surface displacement equation (SDE) proposed by Peck and Schmidt (1969) are presented and discussed. The main objective of this study is to capture the limitations of the parameters used in the SDE based on the FEA at different sand soil densities. The study focuses on the parameters used in the SDE based on different sand soil densities. The surface displacements obtained by the FEA are compared with those obtained by the SDE. The results discussed in this paper show that the different sand soil densities neglected in the SDE have a significant influence on the surface displacement due to tunnelling.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.221-235
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• 2015

A series of laboratory model tests were conducted to investigate the effects of buried pipes location on the bearing capacity of strip footing in cohesionless soil. The variables examined in the testing program include relative density of the sand, loading rate of tests, burial depths of pipe and horizontal distance of pipe to footing. The test results showed a significant increase in bearing capacities when embedment ratio of pipe and horizontal distance of pipe to footing were increased. Based on the test results, it can be concluded that the location of pipes and relative density of sand are main parameters that affect the bearing capacity of strip footing. However, loading rate has not considerable effect on bearing capacity.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.521-529
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• 2022

This research work deals with the development of air pluviation method for preparing uniform sand specimens for conducting large scale laboratory testing. Simulating real field conditions and to get reliable results, air pluviation method is highly desirable. This paper presents a special technique called air pluviation or sand raining technique for achieving uniform relative density. The apparatus is accompanied by a hopper, shutters with different orifice sizes and numbers and set of sieves. Before using this apparatus, calibration curves are drawn for relative density against different height of fall (H) and shutter sizes. From these calibration curves, corresponding to the desired relative density of 60%, the shutter size of 13mm and height of fall of 457.2 mm, are selected and maintained throughout the pluviation process. The density obtained from the mobile pluviator is then verified using the Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP) test where the soil is poured in the box using defined shutter size and fall height. The results obtained from the DCP test are averaged as 60±0.5 which was desirable. The mobile pluviator used in this research is also capable of obtaining relative densities up to 90%. The instrument is validated using experimental and numerical approach. In numerical study, Plaxis 3D software is used in which the soil mass is defined by 10-Node tetrahedral elements and 6-Node plate is used to simulate plate behavior in the validation phase. The results obtained from numerical approach were compared with that of experimental one which showed very close correlation.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.831-847
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• 2017

Conventional geotechnical engineering soil binders such as ordinary cement or lime have environmental issues in terms of sustainable development. Thus, environmentally friendly materials have attracted considerable interest in modern geotechnical engineering. Microbial biopolymers are being actively developed in order to improve geotechnical engineering properties such as aggregate stability, strength, and hydraulic conductivity of various soil types. This study evaluates the geotechnical engineering shear behavior of sand treated with xanthan gum biopolymer through laboratory direct shear testing. Xanthan gum-sand mixtures with various xanthan gum content (percent to the mass of sand) and gel phases (initial, dried, and re-submerged) were considered. Xanthan gum content of 1.0% sufficiently improves the inter-particle cohesion of cohesionless sands 3.8 times and more (up to 14 times for dried state) than in the untreated (natural) condition, regardless of the xanthan gum gel condition. In general, the strength of xanthan gum-treated sand shows dependency with the rheology and phase of xanthan gum gels in inter-granular pores, which decreases in order as dried (biofilm state), initial (uniform hydrogel), and re-submerged (swollen hydrogel after drying) states. As xanthan gum hydrogels are pseudo-plastic, both inter-particle friction angle and cohesion of xanthan gum-treated sand decrease with water adsorbed swelling at large strain levels. However, for 2% xanthan gum-treated sands, the re-submerged state shows a higher strength than the initial state due to the gradual and non-uniform swelling behavior of highly concentrated biofilms.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.20 no.9
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• pp.33-45
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• 2004

Sandfill at reclaimed sites is usually formed by more than one placement method. Reclaimed sandfill often shows highly variable profiles and the cone penetration test is most commonly used for site characterization. Correlations between cone resistance and geotechnical parameters for sand are influenced by in-situ stress level and it is important to incorporate stress level effect. In this study, cone penetration tests were performed at several elevations from the top of a 10m high surcharge, which was later removed step by step. In order to establish more reliable correlations between cone resistance and geotechnical parameters for sand, different ways of normalizing cone resistance by the corresponding in-situ vertical stress were investigated.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.165-171
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• 2020

Laboratory determination of strength and deformation behavior of clean sands and gravels has always been challenging due to the difficulty in obtaining their undisturbed samples. An alternative solution to this problem is to develop correlations between mechanical properties of cohesionless soils and their gradation characteristics. This study presents database of 3 natural sands with 11 varying particle size gradation curves to allow investigating relationships between mean particle size, maximum and minimum void ratio, relative density and shear strength of the test soils. Direct shear tests were performed at relative densities of 50, 75 and 95% to explore the effects of gradation and density on the angle of internal friction of the modeled sand samples. It is found that the mean grain size D₅₀ bears good correlations with void ratio range (e_max - e_min) and peak angle of internal friction 𝜙'_peak. The generated regression models are in good agreement with published literature and can be considered as reliable for natural sands in Pakistan. These empirical correlations can save considerable time and efforts involved in laboratory and field testing.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.71-80
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• 1990

Model tests for the ultimate pullout resistance of anchorages and investigation of failure behaviors in cohesionless soil have been conducted. The factors affecting the anchorage are mostly the geometry of the system, and soil properties of sands. The main conclusions of the experimental work were as follows. 1. The load - displacement relationship can be a form of parabolic curve for all plates. 2. The change in ultimate pullout resistance of anchor is mostly affected by embedment ratio and size of anchor, and influenced to a lesser degree by its shape. 3. Critical embedment ratio which is defined as the failure mode changes from shallow to deep mode is increased with increasing height of anchor. 4. For a constant anchor height, as the width of anchor increases the ultimate pullout resistance also increases. However, considering the efficiency of anchor for unit area, width of anchor does not appear to have any sigrnificant contribution on increasing anchor city. 5. Anchor capacity has a linear relation to sand density for any given section and the rate of change increases as the section increases. Critical depth determining the failure patterns of anchor is decreased with a decrease of sand density. 6. With increasing inclination angle, size of anchor, and decreasing embedment ratio, the ultimate pullout resistance of anchor under inclined loading is significantly decreased. 7. The ultimate pullout resistance of double anchor, a method of improving single of anchor capacity, is influenced by the center - to - center spacing adjacent anchors. It is also found that tandem and parallel anchor rigging arrangements decrease the anchor system capacity to less than twice the single anchor capacity due to anchor interference.

• Geotechnical Engineering
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.65-82
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• 1993

A series of torsion shear tests were performed to study the drained stress -strain behavior of medium dense Santa Monica Beach sand under various stress paths. The torque was applied to both clockwise and counterclockwise directions at the end of hollow cylinder specimen. Two clip gages had been previously used to measure the changes in wall thickness and diameter of the specimen. In this study, however, the lateral strain was determined by measuring volume changes in specimen. Specimens were prepared by the air pluviation method and gaseous carbon deozide( CO2) was used to measure precisely volumetric strain in specimen. The drained stress -strain behavior of cohesionless Boils during rotation of principal stress directions was analysed based on the results of torsion shear tests. The coupling of mal stress were applied. It was also found from the test results that the atrial strain at failure decreased with increasing value.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.1147-1170
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• 2015

In this paper, the behavior of underground strutted retaining structure under seismic condition in non-liquefiable dry cohesionless soil is analyzed numerically. The numerical model is validated against the published results obtained from a study on embedded cantilever retaining wall under seismic condition. The validated model is used to investigate the difference between the static and seismic response of the structure in terms of four design parameters, e.g., support member or strut force, wall moment, lateral wall deflection and ground surface displacement. It is found that among the different design parameters, the one which is mostly affected by the earthquake force is wall deflection and the least affected is the strut force. To get the best possible results under seismic condition, the embedment depth of the wall and thickness of the wall can be chosen as around 100% and 6% of the depth of final excavation level, respectively. The stiffness of the strut may also be chosen as $5{\times}105kN/m/m$ to achieve best possible performance under seismic condition.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2008.03a
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• pp.734-741
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• 2008

At-rest and active earth pressure in plane strain condition have been applied to the design of cylindrical retaining walls. But many researchers have indicated that the earth pressure on the cylindrical retaining walls would be smaller than in plane strain condition due to wall deformation and stress relief. In this paper, the distribution of earth pressure acting on diaphragm wall of a shaft in dry sand was predicted by using the convergence confinement method and model test was performed to verify the estimated values. Test results showed that the earth pressure acting on the diaphragm wall of a shaft was expected to be 1.1~1.5 times larger than active earth pressure of plane strain condition and 0.7~0.9 times less than at-rest earth pressure.