• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 1998.04a
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• pp.37-46
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• 1998

Several researchers have developed a number of theoretical time factors to determine the coefficient of consolidation by biezocone excess pore water dissipation test in soft clay deposits. However, depending on the assumptions and analytical techniques, the estimated coefficient of consolidation could be in a considerably wide range even for a specific degree of consolidation. These solutions are obtained from an initial excess porewater pressure distribution which can be determined from. either the cavity expansion theory or the strain path method. The 야ssipation of the initial excess porelvater pressure has been usally simulated by means of linear-uncoupled consolidation analysis and then the dissipation curve is normalized by the initial excess porewater pressure for easy use. However. since there is no guidelines or rules on which method gives the best solution for obtaining the coefficient of consolidation from the dissipation curve, the final selection was only based on engineer's extrience and Judgements. Thus, such an arbitrary selection might be inappropriate for a specific site to characterize the consolidation behavior. In this paper, we reviewed various theoretical time factors and, based on this consideration, we mentioned needs for researches in selecting a specific solution that is compatible for Korean clays. Also we listed some source of errors that can be encountered in the procedure of dissipation analysis.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2002.03a
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• pp.321-328
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• 2002

Various geosynthetics used as liners or the Protection layers are installed in the solid waste landfill. The interface shear strength between geosynthetics installed at the slope of the landfill is a very important variable for the safe design of bottom and cover systems in the solid waste landfill. The interface shear strengths between (1) Geomembrane(GM)/Geotexile(GT) and (2) Geomembrane(GM)/Geosynthetic Clay Liner(GCL) were estimated by a large direct shear test in this study and were evaluated by the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion. Especially, this research is focused on the effect of water which exists between geosynthetics because interfaces become easily wet or hydrated by rain, leachate and groundwater beneath liners. The strength reduction at large displacement and the effects of the magnitude of normal stresses and GCL hydration methods also investigated. The test results showed that the interface shear strength and shear behavior varied depending upon the magnitude of normal stresses, water at the interface, and hydration methods. Summary of secant friction angles, which could be used as reference values at a site where similar geosynthetics are installed, together with normal stress and hydration condition are presented.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2002.03a
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• pp.381-388
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• 2002

A series of centrifuge model tests were performed to investigate the behavior of piled bridge abutment subjected to lateral soil movements induced by the construction of approach embankment. In these tests, both the depth of soft clay and the rate of embankment construction are chosen as key parameters to examine the effects on lateral soil movements. The depth of soft clay layer varies from 5.2 m to 11.6 m, and the rate of embankment construction has two types of staged construction(1m/30days, 1m/15days) and instant construction. It is shown that, the distribution of lateral flow induced by stage embankment construction has a trapezoidal distribution. And practical guidelines to check the possibility of some lateral movement of piled abutment were investigated. The validity of the proposed guidelines by centrifuge test was compared with the observed performance by lateral movement index, F(Japan Highway Public Corporation) and modified I index(Korea Highway Corporation). Based on the results obtained, the critical values of F and modified I, as a practical guidelines, are proposed to 0.03 and 2.0, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.47-55
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• 2003

This paper presents the two field walls that demonstrate the effect of rainfall on the performance of soil-reinforced retaining wall. A field test wall constructed in Geotechnical Experimental Site at Sungkyunkwan University has been monitored for more than 8 months to study the long-term behavior of soil-reinforced retaining wall. The measured data showed a good correlation between rainfall and wall movement after wall completion. A case of failed soil-reinforced retaining wall also is presented to highlight the effect of rainfall on the performance of soil-reinforced retaining wall. Implications of the findings are discussed.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.337-348
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• 2020

Tropical organic soils having more than 65% of organic matters are named "peat". This soil type is extremely soft, unconsolidated, and possesses low shear strength and stiffness. Different conventional and industrial binders (e.g., lime or Portland cement) are used widely for stabilisation of organic soils. However, due to many factors affecting the behaviour of these soils (e.g., high moisture content, fewer mineral particles, and acidic media), the efficiency of the conventional binders is low and/or cost-intensive. This research investigates the impact of different constituents of cement-sodium silicate grout system on the compressibility behaviour of organic soil, including settlement and void ratio. A microstructure analysis is also carried out on treated organic soil using Scanning Electron Micrographs (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). The results indicate that the settlement and void ratio of treated organic soils decrease gradually with the increase of cement and kaolinite contents, as well as sodium silicate until an optimum value of 2.5% of the wet soil weight. The microstructure analysis also demonstrates that with the increase of cement, kaolinite and sodium silicate, the void ratio and porosity of treated soil particles decrease, leading to an increase in the soil density by the hydration, pozzolanic, and polymerisation processes. This research contributes an extra useful knowledge to the stabilisation of organic soils and upgrading such problematic soils closer to the non-problematic soils for geotechnical applications such as deep mixing.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.139-151
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• 2014

Mudstone is a very common rock that, when in contact with water, can exhibit considerable volume change and breakdown. This behavior of mudstone is frequently encountered in geotechnical engineering and has a considerable influence on infrastructure stability. This is particularly important in the present work, which focuses on mitigating the harmful properties of mudstone. The samples studied are of Permian Age mudstone from Shandong Province, China. Modification tests using organic silicone additive material were carried out. The mechanisms of physical properties modification of mudstone were comparatively studied using corresponding test methods, and the modification mechanism of organic silicone additive material acting on mudstone was analyzed. The following conclusions were drawn. The surface texture and characters of mudstone changed dramatically, surface character turns from hydrophilic to hydrophobic after organic silicone additive material modification. The changes in the surface character indicate a reduction in the water sensitivity of mudstone. After modification, the shape of porosity and fracture of mudstone changed unremarkable, and the total and free expansion ratios decreased obviously, whereas the strength increased markedly.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.847-865
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• 2016

In this study, a series of geotechnical centrifugal tests were conducted to investigate the effectiveness of settlement control of two types of rigid pile structure embankments (PRSE) in collapsible loess under high-speed railway embankments. The research results show that ground reinforcement is required to reduce the post-construction settlement and settlement rate of the embankments. The rigid pile structure embankments using rigid piles can substantially reduce the embankment settlement in the construction of embankments on collapsible loess, and the efficiency in settlement reduction is affected by the pile spacing. The pile-raft structure embankments (PRSE) have much stronger ability in terms of the effectiveness of settlement control, while the pile-geogrid structure embankments (PGSE) provides rapid construction as well as economic benefits. Rational range of pile spacing of PRSE and PGSE are suggested based on the requirements of various railways design speeds. Furthermore, the time effectiveness of negative skin friction of piles and the action of pile-cap setting are also investigated. The relevant measures for improving the bearing capacity and two parts of transition zone forms as positive control mean have been suggested.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.821-845
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• 2016

Extensive researches on distribution of earthquake induced damages in different regions have shown that geological and geotechnical conditions of the local soils significantly influence behavior of alluvial areas under seismic loading. In this article, the site of Babol city which is formed up of saturated fine alluvial soils is considered as a case study. In order to reduce the uncertainties associated with earthquake resistant design of structures in this area (Babol city), the required design parameters have been evaluated with consideration of site's dynamic effects. The utilized methodology combines experimental ground ambient noise analysis, expressed in terms of horizontal to vertical (H/V) spectral ratio, with numerical one-dimensional response analysis of soil columns using DEEPSOIL software. The H/V spectral analysis was performed at 60 points, experimentally, for the region in order to estimate both the fundamental period and its corresponding amplification for the ground vibration. The investigation resulted in amplification ratios that were greater than one in all areas. A good agreement between the proposed ranges of natural periods and alluvial amplification ratios obtained through the analytical model and the experimental microtremor studies verifies the analytical model to provide a good engineering reflection of the subterraneous alluviums.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.49-58
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• 2021

The resistance of soil to the tractive force of flowing water is one of the essential parameters for the stability of the soil when directly exposed to the movement of water such as in rivers and ocean beds. Biopolymers, which are new to sustainable geotechnical engineering practices, are known to enhance the mechanical properties of soil. This study addresses the surface erosion resistance of river-sand treated with several biopolymers that originated from micro-organisms, plants, and dairy products. We used a state-of-the-art erosion function apparatus with P-wave reflection monitoring. Experimental results have shown that biopolymers significantly improve the erosion resistance of soil surfaces. Specifically, the critical shear stress (i.e., the minimum shear stress needed to detach individual soil grains) of biopolymer-treated soils increased by 2 to 500 times. The erodibility coefficient (i.e., the rate of increase in erodibility as the shear stress increases) decreased following biopolymer treatment from 1 × 10-2 to 1 × 10-6 times compared to that of untreated river-sands. The scour prediction calculated using the SRICOS-EFA program has shown that a height of 14 m of an untreated surface is eroded during the ten years flow of the Nakdong River, while biopolymer treatment reduced this height to less than 2.5 m. The result of this study has demonstrated the possibility of cross-linked biopolymers for river-bed stabilization agents.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.583-595
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• 2019

In this paper, a comprehensive investigation of the dynamic response of a long-bridge subjected to spatially varying earthquake ground motions (SVEGM) is performed based on a proposed analytical model which includes the effect of soil-structure interaction (SSI). The spatial variability of ground motions is simulated by the powerful record generator, SIMQKE II. Modeling of the SSI in the system is simplified by replacing the pile foundations and soil with sets of independent equivalent linear springs and dashpots along the pile groups. One of the most fundamental objectives of this study is to examine how well the proposed model simulates the dynamic response of a bridge system. For this purpose, the baseline data required for the evaluation process is derived from analyzing a 3D numerical model of the bridge system which is validated in this paper. To emphasize the importance of the SVEGM and SSI, bridge responses are also determined for the uniform ground motion and fixed base cases. This study proposing a compatible analytical model concerns the relative importance of the SSI and SVEGM and shows that these effects cannot be neglected in the seismic analysis of long-bridges.