• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.713-730
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• 2003

This paper contains the results of the study on the development of fracture and crack propagation in quasi-brittle materials, such as concrete or rocks, using the Discrete Element Method (DEM). A new discrete element numerical model is proposed as the basis for analyzing the inelastic evolution and growth of cracks up to the point of gross material failure. The model is expected to predict the fracture behavior for the quasi-brittle material structure using the elementary aggregate level, the interaction between aggregate materials, and bond cementation. The algorithms generate normal and shear forces between two interfacing blocks and contains two kinds of contact logic, one for connected blocks and the other one for blocks that are not directly connected. The Mohr-Coulomb theory has been used for the fracture limit. In this algorithm the particles are moving based on the connected block logic until the forces increase up to the fracture limit. After passing the limit, the particles are governed by the discrete block logic. In setting up a discrete polygon element model, two dimensional polygons are used to investigate the response of an assembly of different shapes, sizes, and orientations with blocks subjected to simple applied loads. Several examples involving assemblies of particles are presented to show the behavior of the fracture and the failure process.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.301-318
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• 2017

Based on the existing research results, a three-dimensional failure mechanism of tunnel face was constructed. The dynamic seismic effect was taken into account on the basis of quasi-static method, and the nonlinear Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion was introduced into the limit analysis by using the tangent technique. The collapse pressure along with the failure scope of tunnel face was obtained through nonlinear limit analysis. Results show that nonlinear coefficient and initial cohesion have a significant impact on the collapse pressure and failure zone. However, horizontal seismic coefficient and vertical seismic proportional coefficient merely affect the collapse pressure and the location of failure surface. And their influences on the volume and height of failure mechanism are not obvious. By virtue of reliability theory, the influences of horizontal and vertical seismic forces on supporting pressure were discussed. Meanwhile, safety factors and supporting pressures with respect to 3 different safety levels are also obtained, which may provide references to seismic design of tunnels.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.247-258
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• 2020

The shear strength of unsaturated soils, a research hotspot in geotechnical engineering, has great guiding significance for geotechnical engineering design. Although kinds of calculation models for the shear strength of unsaturated soil have been put forward by predecessors, there is still need for new models to extensively consider the nonlinear variation of shear strength, particularly for the nonlinear effect of the net normal stress on the shear strength of unsaturated soil. Here, the shear strength of unsaturated soils is explored to study the nonlinear effects of net normal stress with the introduction of a general nonlinear Mohr-Coulomb (M-C) strength criterion, and the relationship between the matric suction (or suction stress) and degree of saturation (DOS) constructed by the soil-water characteristics curve (SWCC) of van Genuchten is also applied for unsaturated soil. Then, two calculation models (i.e., an envelope shell model and an effective stress model) are established for the shear strength of unsaturated soils under the nonlinear strength theory. In these two models, the curve of the shear strength of unsaturated soils versus the net normal stress exhibits a tendency to gently. Moreover, the proposed formulas have flexibility and convenience with five parameters (for the effective stress model) or six parameters (for the envelope shell model), which are from the M-C strength parameters of the saturated soil and fitting parameters of SWCC of van Genuchten. Thereafter, by comparison with the classical theory of the shear strength of unsaturated soils from some actual cases, the rationality and accuracy of the present models were verified.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.34 no.10
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• pp.17-28
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• 2018

Important parameters for the stability checks of cantilever wall are the active earth pressure and the weight of soil above the heel of the base slab. If the heel length is so long enough that the shear zone bounded by the failure plane is not obstructed by the stem of the wall, the Rankine active condition is assumed to exist along the vertical plane which is located at the edge of the heel of the base slab. Then the Rankine active earth pressure equations may be theoretically used to calculate the lateral pressure on the vertical plane. However, in case of the cantilever wall with a short heel, the application of Rankine theory is not only theoretically incorrect but also makes the lateral earth pressure larger than the actual pressure and results in uneconomical design. In this study, for the cantilever wall with a short heel the limit analysis method is used to investigate the mechanism of development of the active earth pressure and then the magnitude and location of the resultants of the pressure and the weight of the soil above the heel are determined. The calculated results are compared with the existing methods for the stability check. In case of the cantilever wall with a short heel, the results by the Mohr circle method and Teng's method show max. 3.7% and 32% larger than those of the limit analysis method respectively.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.38 no.3 s.172
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• pp.305-317
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• 2005

This study addresses the preliminary results of rock slope stability analyses including hazard assessments for slope failure conducted on the selected sections of rural road cut slope which are about 4 km long. The study area is located in the Mt. Chuntae northeast of Busan and mainly composed of Cretaceous rhyolitic ash-flow tuff', fallout tuff, rhyolitc and andesite. The volcanic rock mass in the area has a number of discontinuities that produce a potentially unstable slope, as the present cut slope is more than 70 degrees in most of the slope sections. Discontinuity geometry data were collected at selected 8 scanline sections and analyzed to estimate important discontinuity geometry parameters to perform rock slope kinematic and block theory analyses. Kinematic analysis for plane sliding has resulted in maximum safe slope angles greater than $65^{\circ}$ for most of the discontinuities. For most of the wedges, maximum safe cut slope angles greater than $45^{\circ}$ were obtained. Maximum safe slope angles greater than 80" were obtained fur most of the discontinuities in the toppling case. The block theory analysis resulted in the identification of potential key blocks (type II) in the SL4, SL5, SL6 and SL8 sections. The chance of sliding taking place through a type ll block under a combined gravitational and external loading is quite high in the investigated area. The results support in-field observations of a potentially unstable slope that could become hazardous under external forces. The results obtained through limit equilibrium slope stability analyses show how a stable slope can become an unstable slope as the water pressure acting on joints increases and how a stable slope under Barton's shear strength criterion can fail as the worst case scenario of using Mohr-Coulomb criterion.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.263-277
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• 2014

In the conventional design of retaining structures in a seismic zone, seismic inertia forces are commonly assumed to act upwards and towards the wall facing to cause a maximum active thrust or act upwards and towards the backfill to cause a minimum passive resistance. However, under certain circumstances this design approach might underestimate the dynamic active thrust or overestimate the dynamic passive resistance acting on a rigid retaining structure. In this study, a new analytical method for dynamic active and passive forces in c-${\phi}$ soils with an infinite slope was proposed based on the Rankine earth pressure theory and the Mohr-Coulomb yield criterion, to investigate the influence of seismic inertia force directions on the total active and passive forces. Four combinations of seismic acceleration with both vertical (upwards or downwards) and horizontal (towards the wall or backfill) directions, were considered. A series of dimensionless dynamic active and passive force charts were developed to evaluate the key influence factors, such as backfill inclination ${\beta}$, dimensionless cohesion $c/{\gamma}H$, friction angle ${\phi}$, horizontal and vertical seismic coefficients, $k _h$ and $k_v$. A comparative study shows that a combination of downward and towards-the-wall seismic inertia forces causes a maximum active thrust while a combination of upward and towards-the-wall seismic inertia forces causes a minimum passive resistance. This finding is recommended for use in the design of retaining structures in a seismic zone.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.37-48
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• 1977

The earth's crust is unceasingly undergoing deformations because of the forces acting upon it. The relationship between the tectonic forces and the resulting deformations are found from the states of stresses in the earth's crust induced by these forces. The study has been attempted to analyze the deformations of the overlying sedimentary layers, which are deformed by the magma intrusion along its lower boundary. The elastic model is constructed to analyze the geologic structures, by means of the theory of elasticity, and then the appropriate boundary conditions are given. The solution of the Airy stress function which satisfies the given boundary conditions is derived from the analytic method. The internal stress distributions of the deformed elastic model layer are portrayed by principal stress trajetories, and then the corresponding potential faults and joints systems are predicted from the Coulomb-Mohr failure criterion. The internal displacement distributions are shown by the calculated displacement components vectors, namely horizontal, vertical and net components. Results of the numerical calculations show the developments of some geologic structures as follows; (1) one set of shear joints and or two sets of shear joints which are oppisite directions, and one set of extension joints parallel to the ${\sigma}_1$ direction, (2) one set of high angle thrusts and normal faults, (3) symmetric fold; both limbs are dipping in opposite direction with low angle. The field work at the Wall-A San area, located near Jinju City, in southern Korea, had accomplished to compare the field structures with the predicted ones. The results of the comparison exhibits the developments of joint and fault systems satisfactorily consistent with each others. But the area does not show any type of folding, in spite of the intrusion of a granodiorite massif, this fact is one of the important features of the whole Kyungsang sedimentary basins of Mesozoic age distributed at the south-eastern parts of Korea. For this reason, it is thought that the magma intrusion had occurred with extremly low pressure. The geologic structures have been modified by the erosion and weathering throughout the geologic time, and the conditions of the sedimentary layers (width, thickness and radius of magma) are not the same as before, being intruded by the magma. To enlighten this, it is preferable to study these geologic structures with analyses of various types of rheological models.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.287-294
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• 2021

In order to expand facility agriculture and reduce greenhouse construction costs in reclaimed land, a greenhouse foundation method that satisfies economic feasibility and structural safety at the same time is required. As an alternative, the allowable bearing capacity and settlement were reviewed when the DCM(Deep cement mixing) method was applied among the soft ground reinforcement methods. To examine the applicability of the greenhouse foundation, the allowable bearing capacity and settlement were calculated by applying the theory of Terzaghi, Meyerhof, Hansen, and Schmertmann. In case of the diameter of 800mm and the width and length of the foundation of 4m, the allowable bearing capacity was 179kN/m² and the settlement was 7.25mm, which satisfies the required bearing capacity and settlement standards. The calculation results were verified through FEM(Finite element method) analysis using the Mohr-Coulomb material model. The allowable bearing capacity was 169kN/m² and the settlement was 2.52mm. The bearing capacity showed an error of 5.6% compared to calculated value, and the settlement showed and error of 65.4%. Through theoretical calculations and FEM analysis, it was confirmed that the allowable bearing capacity and settlement satisfies the design criteria as a greenhouse foundation when the width and length of the foundation were 4m. Based on the verified design values, it is expected to be able to present the foundation design criteria for greenhouses through empirical tests such as bearing capacity tests and long-term settlement monitoring.