• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.247-258
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• 2019

Soil strength and failure surface geometry directly influence magnitudes of passive earth thrust acting on geotechnical retaining structures. Accordingly, it is expected that as long as the shape of the failure surface geometry and strength parameters of the backfill are known, magnitudes of computed passive earth thrusts should be highly accurate. Building on this premise, this study adopts conventional method of slices for calculating passive earth thrust and combines it with equations for estimating failure surface geometries based on in-situ stress state and density. Accuracy of the proposed method is checked using the results obtained from small-scale physical retaining wall model tests. In these model tests, backfill was prepared using either air pluviation or compaction and different backfill relative densities were used in each test. When the calculated passive earth thrust magnitudes were compared with the measured values, it was noticed that the results were highly compatible for the tests with pluviated backfills. On the other hand, calculated thrust magnitudes significantly underestimated the measured thrust magnitudes for those tests with compacted backfills. Based on this observation, a new approach for the calculation of passive earth pressures is developed. The proposed approach calculates the magnitude and considers the influence of locked-in stresses that are the by-products of the backfill preparation method in the computation of lateral earth forces. Finally, recommendations are given for any geotechnical application involving the compaction of granular bodies that are equally applicable to physical modelling studies and field construction problems.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.95-107
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• 2024

In South Korea, over 400,000 Non-building Structures are inadequately managed and exposed to potential risks due to insufficient inspection systems, leading to an increase in accidents and significant losses of life and property. Therefore, it is crucial for users to conduct proactive self-inspections to identify and mitigate potential hazards. This study reclassified Non-building Structures into four main categories by analyzing their structural characteristics and associated risks through statistical analysis. Among these, retaining walls, which account for the largest proportion, were systematically analyzed to identify common damage patterns. Based on this analysis, self-inspection checklists were developed for both non-experts and experts. The proposed process involves an initial visual inspection using a simple non-expert checklist, followed by a more detailed expert-level inspection if any anomalies are detected. The reliability of this process was validated through approximately 120 validation processes.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.201-209
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• 2002

Crib wall system is one of segmental crib type wall. Crib walls are constructed from separate members with no bonds between them other than frictional. The wall units are divide into two main types termed headers and stretchers. The headers run from the front to the back of the wall, perpendicular to the wall face. The cells are created by forming a grid by stacking individual wall components known as headers and stretchers. The body of wall consists of a system of open cell which are filled with a granular material. The design of crib retaining wall is usually based on conventional design methods derived from Rankine and Coulomb theory so that is able to resist the thrust of soil behind it, because it may be assumed that the wall acts as a rigid body. However, deformation characteristics of crib walls cannot be assumed as monolithic. They consist of individual members which have been stacked to creat a three dimensional grid. Therefore, the segmental grid allows relative movement between the individual member within the wall. The three dimensional flexible grid leads to stress distribution by interaction behavior between soil and crib wall. Therefore, in this study, in order to analysis the trends of deflection of crib wall system, new numerical models based on the results of Brandl's full scale test are introduced for design concept.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2008.03a
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• pp.963-971
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• 2008

Unsaturated soil mechanics has been often used to find out a cause of failure (tensile failure) of retaining walls and hill slopes containing sandy soils. Checking shear strength is a popular method by considering suction stress developed form pore water menisci among the grains and saturated pockets of pore water under negative pressure. Linear Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion is generally adopted as a failure criterion. However, depending on relative density, stress history, and the magnitude of stress, the failure behavior of sand may not follow linear M-C frictional behavior. For stress in the large compressive ranges, say from tens to hundreds of kPa, the linear M-C criterion is an adequate representation for the shear strength behavior of sand. However, less than tens of kPa, the M-C criterion often can not be accurately represented. Depending on failure criterion, the uniaxial tensile strength is different over 100% relative error. For sand behavior under small compression regimes, therefore, such as under low or zero gravity, or under undergoing tensile failure in the crest area of hill slopes or behind retaining walls, it is important to consider the non-linear behavior.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.83-89
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• 2017

Temporary structures provide the accessible working area when building a permanent building structure in the construction operation. Executed in a natural environment, the temporary structure is prone to the external influence factors of underground water, soil conditions, etc. These factors should be carefully considered in designing the temporary structure. The objective of this study is to apply the external influence factors in designing a more reliable earth retaining wall. The research methodology is based on the Taguchi method that has been studied to improve product quality in the industry. An orthogonal array was developed to analyze the interaction between the external influence factors and the internal influence factors. A sample case study demonstrated that the Taguchi method can be used in planning a more reliable temporary structure for earth retaining walls.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.24 no.9
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• pp.23-32
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• 2008

This paper presents the global stability of geosynthetic reinforced segmental retaining walls in tiered configuration. Four design cases of walls with different geometries and offset distances were analyzed based on the FHWA and NCMA design guidelines and the discrepancies between the different guidelines were identified. A series of global slope stability analyses were conducted using the limit-equilibrium analysis and the continuum mechanics based shear strength reduction method with the aim of identifying failure patterns and the associated factors of safety. The results indicated among other things that the FHWA design approach yields conservative results both in the external and internal stability calculations, i.e., lower factors of safety, than the NCMA design approach. It was also found that required reinforcement lengths are usually governed by the global slope stability requirement rather than the external stability calculations. Also shown is that the required reinforcement lengths for the upper tiers are much longer than those based on the current design guidelines.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.25 no.9
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• pp.19-27
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• 2009

In order to investigate anti-freeze process of precast concrete L-type retaining walls in cold regions, test walls were installed in the campus of Kitami Institute of Technology (KIT, Hokkaido, Japan). The wall consists of following three sections, i) back filled with frost susceptible clay soil, ii) using thermal insulation material, and back filled with frost susceptible soil, iii) back filled with frost-unsusceptible soil. The freezing front distribution and ground temperature within the backfill were observed and deflections of the walls were measured over three freeze-thaw seasons. Some understanding of the mechanisms of the build-up of frost heave pressure was gained, and the effectiveness of replacement method was observed. A simulation was performed to predict the shape of the freezing front in the backfill behind L-type walls with various cross sections. These findings were employed to propose a method for determining the appropriate zone to be replaced with frost unsusceptible backfill material in cold regions.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.171-186
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• 2010

It is generally known that the mechanism of behavior in the flexible earth retaining system is relatively more complicated than in the rigid earth retaining system. Moreover in the case of long span strut supporting system the analysis of strut axial force change becomes more difficult when the differences of ground condition and excavation work progress on both sides of excavation section are added. When deeper excavation than the specification or installation delay of supporting system or change of ground condition happen during construction process, lots of axial force can be induced in some struts, which threaten the safety of construction. This paper introduces two examples of long span deep excavation where struts and rock bolts were used as a supporting system with flexible wall structure. The characteristics of ground deformation and strut axial force change, which were measured in the sections of two examples that are 50 meters apart in one construction site and have almost similar design and construction conditions were analysed, the similarity and difference between measurement results of two examples were compared and investigated. This article aims to improve and develop the technique of design and construction in future projects having similar ground condition and supporting method.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.20 no.7
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• pp.5-10
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• 2019

In recent Gyeongju and Pohang earthquakes, motions that exceed the design ground motion were recorded. This has led to adjustments to the design earthquake intensity in selected design guidelines. An increment in the design intensity requires reevaluation of all associated facilities, requiring extensive time and cost. Firstly, the seismic factor of safety of built concrete retaining walls are calculated. Secondly, the seismic margin of concrete retaining walls is evaluated. The design sections of concrete walls built at power plants and available site investigation reports are utilized. Widely used pseudo-static analysis method is used to evaluate the seismic performance. It is shown that all concrete walls are safe against the adjusted design ground motion. To determine the seismic margin of concrete walls, the critical accelerations, which is defined as the acceleration that causes the seismic factor of safety to exceed the allowable value, are calculated. The critical acceleration is calculated as 0.36g~0.8g. The limit accelerations are significantly higher than the design intensity and are demonstrated to have sufficient seismic margin. Therefore, it is concluded that the concrete retaining walls do not need to be reevaluated even if the design demand is increased up to 0.3g.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.59-71
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• 2006

Due to the rapid process of industrialization the cities of Korea confront changes of climate, destructions of the habitate and decrease of the green. Recently Seoul and other local governments have implemented policies and projects to improve the environmental surroundings. In reality, however, those policies and projects face difficulties in the course of implementation. The fact that there are no concrete regulations and specific legal procedures turns out to be one of the main difficulties. The aim of this study is to present specific plans and methods of wall-planting and to provide basic guidelines for the future direction of wall-planting and offer ideas of facilitating wall-planting. This study is based on questionnaires from specialists of landscape architecture through individual interviews and/or e-mails. The questionnaire is consisted of following 4 sections. 1. Show the experts current regulations and/or legal procedures and ask them improvements and suggestions. 2. Ask them choose matters of the highest priority by using Ricardo's diagram method. 3. Ask them to make a graded list in terms of the location and method of wall-planting. 4. Study the maketability of the wall-planting products currently in circulation. The city of Seoul and the Ministry of Environment recommend that trellis and/or planting inducement structures be installed on the building wall by regulation. The specialists responded to the questionnaire advocate that green wall without trellis should be allowed as green zone. Therefore regulations concerning the wall-planting should be determined specifically according to the characteristics of individual plants and walls. It has been urged that legal aid and social support must be reinforced to establish rules dealing with wall-planting. The respondents also point out that significant cutting down of the tax is far more effective in accelerating the wall-green instead of administrative support. The highest priority in terms of planting has been given to sound-proof wall, retaining wall and building wall. Concerning the maketability of the wall-planting products, panel products are recommended for early-planting and building planting. It has been suggested that the research and study of new materials and species be done in advance.