• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.17-29
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• 2009

There has been an increase in the investigation of deep sea sediments with a consequent increase in the amount of energy required to undertake these investigations. The geotechnical characteristics of Ulleung Basin sediment are explored by using depressurized specimens following methane production tests carried out on pressured core samples obtained at 2,100 m water depth and 110 m below sea floor. Geotechnical index tests, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscope are conducted to identify the geotechnical index parameters, clay mineralogy, chemical composition, and microstructure of the sediments. Compressibility, and elastic and electromagnetic wave parameters are investigated for two samples by using a multi sensing instrumented oedometer cell. The strength chatracteristics are obtained by the direct shear tests. The dominant clay minerals are mostly kaolinite, illite, chlorite, and calcite. The SEM shows a well-developed flocculated structure of the microfossil. Void ratio, electrical resistivity, real permittivity, conductivity, and shear wave velocity show bi-linear behavior with the effective vertical stress: as the vertical effective stress increases. The friction angle obtained by the direct shear test is about $21^{\circ}$, which is similar to the value observed in the Ulleung Basin sediments. This study shows that the understanding of the behavior acting on the diatomaceous marine sediment is important because it often maintains the useful energy resources such as gas hydrate and so will be the new engineering field in the next generation.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.13-20
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• 2005

In this study, consolidation test and numerical analysis were performed with the aim of investigating the characteristics of consolidation behavior of mixed soil with the amount and particle shape of inserted materials. Mixed soil was made up of matrix (dredged clay) and inserted material (crashed oyster shell and/or sand). The concept of stress share ratio was introduced to evaluate the consolidation characteristics of mixed soils. And the finite differential numerical analysis was carried out by applying the Mikasa's consolidation theory. From the results of experiments and numerical analysis, it was verified that mixed soil consolidation behavior is affected by changes in inserted material. When a similar amount of granular material was inserted, the compressibility of the clay matrix of oyster shell mixed soil was smaller than that of sand mixed soil.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.53-60
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• 2008

In recent years, finite strain consolidation theories including a mechanical nonlinearity and a reasonable coordinate system have been proposed and used in educations and practical consolidation problems. However, despite their reasonable ability to predict the consolidation behavior, their failure in the field can be attributed to the complexity of estimating and selecting proper parameters for simulating the consolidation phenomenon. In this study, therefore, the application of a piecewise-linear method was proposed to solve such problems including the assumption of the uniqueness in compressibility. Especially, the concept of reference curve was introduced to define the effect of strain rate dependency of clay. The applicability of the methodology is verified by several tests. It was found that the proposed method is applicable in restrictive ranges of study carried out in the laboratory. Finally it is expected that the verification in field consolidation problem has to be carried out through future study.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.24 no.9
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• pp.33-40
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• 2008

This paper describes the performance of ground improvement project using prefabricated vertical drains of condition, in which approximately 10m dredged fill overlies original soft foundation layer in the coastal area composed of soft marine clay with high water content and high compressibility. From field monitoring results, excessive ground settlement compared with predicted settlement in design stage developed during the following one year. In order to predict the final consolidation behavior, recalculation of consolidation settlements and back analysis using observed settlements were conducted. Field monitoring results of surface settlements were evaluated, and then corrected because large shear deformation occurred by construction events in the early stages of consolidation. To predict the consolidation behavior, material functions and in-situ conditions from laboratory consolidation test were re-analyzed. Using these results, height of additional embankment is estimated to satisfy residual settlement limit and maintain an adequate ground elevation. The recalculated time-settlement curve has been compared with field monitoring results after additional surcharge was applied. It might be used for verification of recalculated results.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.103-113
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• 2020

Gypsiferous soils classified as problematic soils due to the dissolution of gypsum. Presence of gypsum in the soils texture subjected to steady flow can cause serious damages for the buildings, roads and water transmission canals. Therefore, researchers have conducted a series of physical, mechanical and microstructural laboratory tests to study the effect of gypsum leaching on the geotechnical properties of a lean clay containing 0%, 3%, 6%, 9%, 12%, and 15% raw gypsum. In addition, a combination of two nano-chemical stabilizers named Terrasil and Zycobond was used in equal proportions to stabilize the gypsiferous clayey samples. The results indicated that gypsum leaching considerably changed the physical and mechanical properties of gypsiferous soils. Further, adding the combination of Terrasil and Zycobond nano-polymeric stabilizers to the gypsiferous soil led to a remarkable reduction in the settlement drop, compressibility, and electrical conductivity (EC) of the water passing through the specimens, resulting in improving the engineering properties of the soil samples. The X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that stabilization by terrasil and zycobond causes formation of new peaks such as CSH and alteration of pure soil structure by adding raw gypsum. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images show the denser texture of the soil samples due to chemical stabilization and decrease of Si/Al ratio which indicates by Energy dispersive X-ray (EDS) interpretation, proved the enhance of shear strength in stabilized samples.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.453-462
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• 2023

Intermediate Geomaterials (IGMs) are natural formation materials that exhibit the engineering behavior (strength and compressibility) between soils and rocks. The engineering behavior of such material is highly unpredictable as the IGMs are stiffer than soils and weaker/softer than rocks. Further, the characterization of such material needs exposure to both soil and rock mechanics. In most conventional designs of geotechnical structures, the engineering properties of the IGMs are either aligned with soils or rocks, and this assumption may end up either in an over-conservative design or under-conservative design. Hence, many researchers have attempted to evaluate its actual engineering properties through laboratory tests. However, the test results are partially reliable due to the poor core recovery of IGMs and the possible sample disturbance. Subsequently, in-situ tests have been used in recent years to evaluate the engineering properties of IGMs. However, the respective in-situ test finds its limitations while exploring IGMs with different geological formations at deeper depths with the constraints of sampling. Standard Penetration Test (SPT) is the strength-based index test that is often used to explore IGMs. Moreover, it was also observed that the coefficient of variation of the design parameters (which represents the uncertainties in the design parameters) of IGMs is relatively high, and also the studies on the probabilistic characterization of IGMs are limited compared with soils and rocks. With this perspective, the present article reviews the laboratory and in-situ tests used to characterize the IGMs and explores the shear strength variation based on their geological origin.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 1999.03a
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• pp.349-356
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• 1999

In general, the term soft ground includes clayey soils, which have large compressibility and small shear resistance due to the external load. All process of consolidation in compressible soils can be explained in terms of a transfer of load from an incompressible pore-water to a compressible soil structure. Therefore, one of the most important subjects about the characteristics of the time-dependent consolidation of the clay foundation by the change of load may be the presumption of the final settlement caused by consolidation and the degree of consolidation according to the time. The problems of discontinuous layer interface are very important in the algorithm and programming for the analysis of multi-layered soils using a numerical analysis, finite difference method. Better results can be obtained by the Process for discontinuous layer interface, since it can help consolidation analysis to model the actual ground. The purpose of this paper Provides an efficient computer algorithm based on numerical analysis using finite difference method(F.D.M.) which account for multi-layered soils to determine the degree of consolidation and excess pore pressures relative to time and positions more realistically.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2000.03b
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• pp.575-582
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• 2000

The flat Dilatometer test(flat DMT) has been known as an in-situ testing method which is simple and robust to use, and reliable for site stratification and evaluation of soil properties. It was designed and proposed by Marchetti in 1975 to characterize the properties of soils. There are many researches that have been done to evaluate the horizontal coefficient of consolidation from the dissipation test results of flat DMT on normally consolidated and slightly overconsolidated clays. The representative estimation methods of estimating the horizontal consolidation coefficient are DMT-C method which uses a C-reading dissipation curve and DMT-A method which uses a A-reading dissipation curve. This paper represents a comparison analysis of those two methods in obtaining the horizontal coefficients of consolidation. The reference values are also obtained by CPTU and other laboratory tests. The applicability of using flat DMT to characterize the consolidation behavior is also reviewed for two sites. According to the results, DMT-A method is not suitable for silty clays possibly because of the compressibility characteristics. As for the normally consolidated and slightly overconsolidated clays, the results obtained from the two methods are comparable with each other as well as with the laboratory test results.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.665-672
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• 2002

In order to expand agricultural lands in the western and southern coasts of Korean Peninsula, coarse soils excavated from hillsides have been used as fill materials for reclamation. In order to tackle with the problems and to confirm availability, research on soil improvement involve mixing cement to the fine wet soils. Required undrained shear strength(c$\sub$u/) for fill material was analyzed to be 0.34∼1.2kg/$\textrm{cm}^2$. It has been known that when cement is added to high water content marine clay, its unconfined compression strength increased to 2kg/$\textrm{cm}^2$. Consolidation results show that pre-consolidation pressure increased to 1.8kg/$\textrm{cm}^2$ and 3.4kg/$\textrm{cm}^2$ with the addition of 3% and 5% of cement respectively. This result shows that low-height embankments could be constructed without significant compression. Since the effectiveness of improvement may be different site by site, the mix design for each site is necessary in order to optimize it. The process is first to determine aimed shear strength and then optimum mix ratio of cement after carrying out a series of tests.

• Geotechnical Engineering
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.113-122
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• 1995

The purposes of this study are to investigate the mechanical prospeities of the inter mediate soils through consolidation tests and triaxial compression shear tests. The intermediate soils used in this study are artificial soils which are composed of sea clay, sand and it's crushed component. The relationship between plastic index and mechanical prosperties (permeability and compressibility) is investigated through series of consoli dation tests. Strain hardening phenomenon under shearing is explored based on several overconsideration ratios and strain rates in undrained shear tests. To make a comparative study difference of drain condition and strain rate, drain shear tests are performed with overconsolidation ratio.