• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.197-208
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• 2023

Rate-dependent mechanical response of sand, subjected to loading of medium to high strain rate range, is of interest for several civilian and military applications. Such rate-dependent response can vary significantly based on the initial density state of the sand, applied confining pressure, considered strain rate range, drainage condition and sand morphology. A numerical study has been carried out employing a recently proposed visco-plastic constitutive model to explore the rate-dependent mechanical behaviour of Toyoura sand under drained triaxial loading condition. The model parameters have been calibrated using the experimental data on Toyoura sand available in published literature. Under strain rates higher than a reference strain rate, the simulation results are found to be in good agreement with the experimentally observed characteristic shearing behaviour of sand, which includes increased shear strength, pronounced post-peak softening and suppressed compression. The rate-dependent response, subjected to intermediate strain rate range, has further been assessed in terms of enhancement of peak shear strength and peak friction angle over varying initial density and confining pressure. The simulation results indicate that the rate-induced strength increase is highest for the dense state and such strength enhancements remain nearly independent of the applied confinement level.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.35-52
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• 2009

A significantly thick zone of steep slopes is commonly encountered above groundwater table and the soils within this zone are unsaturated with negative pore-water pressures (i.e., matric suction). Matric suction contributes significantly to the shear strength of soil and to the factor of safety of unsaturated slopes. However, infiltration during rainfall increases the pore-water pressure in soil resulting in a decrease in the matric suction and the shear strength of the soil. As a result, rainfall infiltration may eventually trigger a slope failure. Therefore, understanding of shear strength characteristics of saturated and unsaturated soils under shearing-infiltration (SI) conditions have direct implications in assessment of slope stability under rainfall conditions. This paper presents results from a series of consolidated drained (CD) and shearing-infiltration (SI) tests. Results show that the failure envelope obtained from the shearing-infiltration tests is independent of the infiltration rate. Failure envelopes obtained from CD and SI tests appear to be similar. For practical purposes the shear strength parameters from the CD tests can be used in stability analyses of slopes under rainfall conditions. The SI tests might be performed to obtain more conservative shear strength parameters and to study the pore-water pressure changes during infiltration.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.713-723
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• 2016

Shear wave velocities of three selected sandy soils subject to drained triaxial compression test were continuously measured using the bender elements. The shear wave velocity during isotropic compression, as widely recognized, increased as confining pressure increased and they were correlated well. However, during drained shearing, the mean effective stress could no further provide a suitable correlation. The shear wave velocity during this stage was almost constant with respect to the mean effective stress. The vertical stress was found to be more favorable at this stage (since confining stress was kept constant). When sample was attained its peak stress, the shear wave velocity reduced and deviated from the previously existed trend line. This was probably caused by the non-uniformity induced by the formation of shear band. Subsequently, void ratios computed based on external measurements could not provide reasonable fitting to the initial stage of post-peak shear wave velocity. At very large strain levels after shear band formation, the digital images revealed that sample may internally re-arrange itself to be in a more uniform loose stage. This final stage void ratio estimated based on the proposed correlation derived during pre-peak state was close to the value of the maximum void ratio.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.25-35
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• 2008

It has been recognized that the behaviour of unsaturated soil plays an important role in geomechanics. However, up to now, only a few experimental data are available for the technical difficulties related to both volume changes and suction measurements. In this study, the volume changes of unsaturated compacted silty soil were monitored with proximeter during various triaxial compression tests, which gave a realistic estimation in the volume changes of unsaturated soil sample. From the test results, the behaviours of wetting-induced collapses are observed during the drainage/water absorption tests. Under exhausted-drained conditions during shearing, the shear strength increases with an increasing initial suction. On the other hand, the volume changes become small with an increase in the initial suction. And, the volumetric strain during shearing is independent of the confining pressure.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.15-23
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• 2012

An internal friction angle, which is one of strength parameters of granular soils, can be obtained from direct shear tests or triaxial tests. The result of traixial tests can be influenced by various experimental conditions such as confining pressure, shearing rate, specimen diameter and height, and end constraint. In this study, undrained and drained shearing behaviors of Nakdong River sand were investigated for loose (Dr = 40%) and dense (Dr = 80%) specimens with 5, 7, and 10 cm in diameter. Friction angles such as undrained total stress friction angle, undrained effective stress friction angle, and drained friction angle obtained from Mohr's stress circle slightly increased and then decreased as a diameter of a specimen increased from 5, 7 to 10 cm, regardless of relative densities. The difference between friction angles caused by different specimen size was at maximum 4.5 degrees for undrained total stress friction angle of dense specimen. In most cases, there was little difference between friction angles of large and small specimens, which was less than 2 degrees. The difference between an effective friction angle from undrained tests and a drained friction angle from drained tests was at maximum 7 degrees for loose samples but negligible for dense samples.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.213-231
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• 2014

An elastoplastic model for structured clays, which is formulated based on the fact that the difference in mechanical behavior of structured and reconstituted clays is caused by the change of fabric in the post-yield deformation range, is present in this paper. This model is developed from an elastoplastic model for overconsolidated reconstituted clays, by considering that the variation in the yield surface of structured clays is similar to that of overconsolidated reconstituted clays. However, in order to describe the mechanical behavior of structured clays with precision, the model takes the bonding and parabolic strength envelope into consideration. Compared with the Cam-clay model, only two new parameters are required in the model for structured clays, which can be determined from isotropic compression and triaxial shear tests at different confining pressures. The comparison of model predictions and results of drained and undrained triaxial shear tests on four different marine clays shows that the model can capture reasonable well the strength and deformation characteristics of structured clays, including negative and positive dilatancy, strain-hardening and softening during shearing.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.57-65
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• 2014

For economic and technical reasons, it is difficult to obtain high quality undisturbed cohesionless samples, hence most researchers rely on preparing remolded and reconstituted representative samples of sandy soils. In this study, moist tamping, air pluviation, and dry deposition methods were applied to make remolded samples at similar relative densities. A series of isotropically consolidated drained tests were conducted with accompanied by measured elastic wave velocities in order to evaluate a difference between sample preparation methods and relative densities. For the elastic wave velocity measurements, piezoelectric elements were installed on the top and bottom cap of the triaxial device. The results showed that soil behavior relies on sample preparation methods, and that the trend of shear wave velocity was the same with volumetric strain behavior.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.29-36
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• 2001

한반도 남해안의 광양만에서 채취한 연약 해성점토의 물리적 및 역학적 특성을 조사하기 위한 일련의 실내시험을 수행하였다. 물리적 성질 및 압밀시험 결과의 분석에 따르면, 시험에 사용된 시료는 정규압밀점토로 나타났다. 압밀비배수 삼축시험 결과로부터 새로운 간극수압계수(C)를 제안하였고, 이 계수는 유효응력경로를 예측하기 위한 방정식에 적용되었다. 또한, 비배수조건에서 전단변형률은 오로지 응력비만의 함수라는 사실이 실험결과로부터 밝혀졌다. 따라서 비배수 조건에서의 전단변형률 계산식이 제안되었으며, 이들 관계식을 이용하여 비배수(CIU) 및 배수조건(CID)에서의 점토의 거동을 예측하기 위한 새로운 구성방정식이 제안되었다. 이 구성방정식은 Roscoe와 Poorooshasb이 제안한 증분응력-변형률 이론을 기초로 하였으며, 제안된 구성방정식을 적용하여 예측한 배수전단특성을 실측된 결과에 매우 근접하는 경향을 나타내었다.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.23 no.10
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• pp.57-64
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• 2007

Since matric suction of unsaturated soil was related to soil and ground water contaminations, it is very important to analyze its mechanism that was represented by shear characteristics. In three phases of soil, a little air makes the condition of unsaturated soil on contract or shrinkage surface between water and air. Capillarity and suction in pore of unsaturated soil cause surface tension and surface force so it makes negative pore water pressure and increases effective stress as a result. Therefore, negative pore water pressure in partially saturated soil affects the soil structure and degree of saturation and it is important to evaluate accurately unsaturate flow and behavior. In this study, the shear strength characteristics of the seven sandy soils were investigated using consolidated drained triaxial tests with special emphasis on the effects of the negative pore pressure and the matric suction. These tests involved shearing under either a constant net confining pressure and varying matric suction or under a constant matric suction and varying net normal stress.

• Geotechnical Engineering
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.55-78
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• 1994

Decomposed granite soil is a Granitic Gneiss, and it is a c Korean peninsula. It is known a changed significantly when it is aim of this study is to evaluat utility of the constitutive laws. Firstly, triaxial tests were pe sites prepared by the laborato scrutinized the characteristics results were analysed and the p evaluated. Finally, the predicted Even though the origins of slight difference in the angle of pression line( A) : both soils show In the effective mean normal uniqueness of the Normal Compr The relationships between the the decomposed granite soil tier OCR is larger than 2, the stress stress(MDS) or. even thous moved below the theoretical Ros was found to coincide with the (NC) soils, the pore pressure parameter, A,, increased up to 1.3. This phenomenon might be mainly due to the effect of the particle crushing during shearing, When the OCR value approaches 7, the negative pore pressure is developed in undrained tests and the dilatancy is observed in drained tests. The predicted and the observed behavior of drained tests showed relatively good fitting with the Cam-Clay model.