• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 1998.10a
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• pp.335-342
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• 1998

A soil-structure interaction (SSI) experiment is being conducted in a seismically active region in Hualien, Taiwan. To obtain earthquake data for quantifying SSI effects and providing a basis to benchmark analysis methods, a 1/4-th scale cylindrical concrete containment model similar in shape to that of a nuclear power plant containment was constructed in the field where both the containment model and its surrounding soil, surface and sub-surface, are extensively instrumented to record earthquake data. In between September 1993 and May 1996, fifteen earthquakes with Richter magnitudes ranging from 4.2 to 6.2 were recorded. The recorded data were analyzed to provide information on the response characteristics of the Hualien soil-structure system, the SSI effects and the ground motion characteristics. The ground response data were analyzed for their variations with depth, with distance from the model structure, and at the same depths along downhole arrays. Variations of soil stiffness and soil-structure system frequencies were also evaluated against maximum ground motion. In addition, the site soil properties were derived based on correlation analysis of the recorded data and then correlated with those from the geotechnical investigation data.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.461-476
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• 2015

Global warming has accelerated glacial retreat in the high Arctic. The exposed glacier foreland is an ideal place to study chronosequential changes in ecosystems. Although vegetation succession in the glacier forelands has been studied intensively, little is known about the microbial community structure in these environments. Therefore, this study focused on how glacial retreat influences the bacterial community structure and its relationship with soil properties. This study was conducted in the foreland of the Midtre Lovénbreen glacier in Svalbard (78.9°N). Seven soil samples of different ages were collected and analyzed for moisture content, pH, soil organic carbon and total nitrogen contents, and soil organic matter fractionation. In addition, the structure of the bacterial community was determined via pyrosequencing analysis of 16S rRNA genes. The physical and chemical properties of soil varied significantly along the distance from the glacier; with increasing distance, more amounts of clay and soil organic carbon contents were observed. In addition, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria were dominant in soil samples taken close to the glacier, whereas Acidobacteria were abundant further away from the glacier. Diversity indices indicated that the bacterial community changed from homogeneous to heterogeneous structure along the glacier chronosequence/distance from the glacier. Although the bacterial community structure differed on basis of the presence or absence of plants, the soil properties varied depending on soil age. These findings suggest that bacterial succession occurs over time in glacier forelands but on a timescale that is different from that of soil development.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.19-28
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• 2010

Considering six screen matrix to select an optimum remediation method for the Kunsan military base contaminated with petroleum oil, the following order was obtained: landfarming > biopile > soil washing > thermal desorption = incineration. When the landfarming method was applied for the remediation of 2,250 $m^3$ soil contaminated with petroleum oil ranging from 500 to 2,404 mg/kg as TPH, contamination level decreased below target concentration 450 mg/kg after 20~42 days depending on the initial contamination. From the evaluation of case studies of landfarming, it is suggested that ratty-truss or single-arch structure is suitable in the landfarming plant for the treatment of large-scale contaminated soil requiring long period of remediation. But, vinyl-house structure is suitable in the landfarming plant for the treatment of small-scale contaminated soil requiring short period of remediation. Therefore vinyl-house structure is recommended in the remediation of contaminated soil less than 5,000 $m^3$ requiring within 1 year of remediation period but ratty-truss or single-arch structure is recommended for the remediation of contaminated soil more than 5,000 $m^3$.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.399-415
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• 2017

A series of direct shear tests were conducted to investigate the frictional properties of the interface between structures and the filling soil of Chongqing airport fourth stage expansion project. Two types of structures are investigated, one is low carbon steel and the other is the bedrock sampled from the site. The influence of soil water content, surface roughness and material types of structure were analyzed. The tests show that the interface friction and shear displacement curve has no softening stage and the curve shape is close to the Clough-Duncan hyperbola, while the soil is mainly shear contraction during testing. The interface frictional resistance and normal stress curve meets the Mohr-Coulomb criterion and the derived friction angle and frictional resistance of interface increase as surface roughness increases but is always lower than the internal friction angle and shear strength of soil respectively. When surface roughness is much larger than soil grain size, soil-structure interface is nearly shear surface in soil. In addition to the geometry of structural surface, the material types of structure also affects the performance of soil-structure interface. The wet interface frictional resistance will become lower than the natural one under specific conditions.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.741-758
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• 2013

In this study, inelastic displacement ratios are investigated for existing systems with known lateral strength considering soil structure interaction. For this purpose, SDOF systems for period range of 0.1-3.0 s with different hysteretic behaviors are considered for a number of 18 earthquake motions recorded on soft soil. The effect of stiffness degradation on inelastic displacement ratios is investigated. The Modified Clough model is used to represent structures that exhibit significant stiffness degradation when subjected to reverse cyclic loading and the elastoplastic model is used to represent non-degrading structures. Soil structure interaction analyses are conducted by means of equivalent fixed base model effective period, effective damping and effective ductility values differing from fixed-base case. For inelastic time history analyses, Newmark method for step by step time integration was adapted in an in-house computer program. A new equation is proposed for inelastic displacement ratio of system with SSI with elastoplastic or degrading behavior as a function of structural period ($\tilde{T}$), strength reduction factor (R) and period lengthening ratio ($\tilde{T}$/T). The proposed equation for $\tilde{C}_R$ which takes the soil-structure interaction into account should be useful in estimating the inelastic deformation of existing structures with known lateral strength.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.949-963
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• 2017

The main purpose of the current study is to develop the new coefficients for consideration of soil-structure interaction effects to find the elevated tank natural period. Most of the recommended relations to find the natural period just assumed the fixed base condition of elevated tank systems and the soil effects on the natural period are neglected. Two different analytical systems considering soil-structure- fluid interaction effects are recommended in the current study. Achieved results of natural impulsive and convective period, concluded from mentioned models are compared with the results of a numerical model. Two different sets of new coefficients for impulsive and convective periods are developed. The values of the developed coefficients directly depend to soil stiffness values. Additional results show that the soil stiffness not only has significant effects on natural period but also it is effective on liquid sloshing wave height. Both frequency content and soil stiffness have significant effects on the values of liquid wave height.

• Geotechnical Engineering
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.7-14
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• 1986

The structure of the collapsible soils, such as decomposed granite soil and loess, were examined by the odeometer test, SEM & XES analysis and static & cyclic triaxial test, and hove this structure have influences upon the collapsible behaviour under static and cyclic load was investigated. The study results obtained are as follows; 1. The macropores space of decomposed granite soil (rd=1.50g/cm3) and loess (rd=1.43g/cm3) used in this test were well developed, and showed the behaviour of collapsible soil. 2. Collapsible soil has high resistance on the strain under natural moisture content, however, the resistance on the strain was sharply decreased by the absorption and increasing load since its special structure was destructed. 3. Under the static load, the strain of collapsible soil was high by the viscous flow of the cyclic bonds with time lapse, but Infer the cyclic load, the strain of collapsible soil was low since the tinge needed to destruct the bonding force of clay was not enough. 4. The understanding about the cyclic behaviour of collapsible soil may be helpful to predict the elastic & residual strain of the foundations by the earthquake together with the damage by the additional failure.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.257-277
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• 2011

An evaluation is presented of the response of a 3-storey R/C structure during the destructive Lefkada earthquake of 14/08/2003. Key aspects of the event include: (1) the unusually strong levels of ground motion (PGA = 0.48 g, $SA_{max}$ = 2.2 g) recorded approximately 10 km from fault, in downtown Lefkada; (2) the surprisingly low structural damage in the area; (3) the very soft soil conditions ($V_{s,max}$ = 150 m/s). Structural, geotechnical and seismological aspects of the earthquake are discussed. The study focuses on a 3-storey building, an elongated structure of rectangular plan supported on strip footings, that suffered severe column damage in the longitudinal direction, yet minor damage in the transverse one. Detailed spectral and time-history analyses highlight the interplay of soil, foundation and superstructure in modifying seismic demand in the two orthogonal directions of the building. It is shown that soil-structure interaction may affect inelastic seismic response and alter the dynamic behavior even for relatively flexible systems such as the structure at hand.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.87-96
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• 2021

Ground motions recorded in near-fault sites, where the rupture propagates toward the site, are significantly different from those observed in far-fault regions. In this research, finite element modeling is used to investigate the effect of pile cap stiffness on the seismic response of soil-pile-structure systems under near-fault ground motions. The Von Wolffersdorff hypoplastic model with the intergranular strain concept is applied for modeling of granular soil (sand) and the behavior of structure is considered to be non-linear. Eight fault-normal near-field ground motion records, recorded on rock, are applied to the model. The numerical method developed is verified by comparing the results with an experimental test (shaking table test) for a soil-pile-structure system. The results, obtained from finite element modeling under near-fault ground motions, show that when the value of cap stiffness increases, the drift ratio of the structure decreases, whereas the pile relative displacement increases. Also, the residual deformations in the piles are due to the non-linear behavior of soil around the piles.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.783-791
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• 2018

In consideration of the mesoscopic structure of soil-rock mixtures in which the rock aggregates are wrapped by soil at normal temperatures, a two-layer embedded model of single-inclusion composite material was built to calculate the shear modulus of soil-rock mixtures. At a freezing temperature, an interface ice interlayer was placed between the soil and rock interface in the mesoscopic structure of the soil-rock mixtures. Considering that, a three-layer embedded model of double-inclusion composite materials and a multi-step multiphase micromechanics model were then built to calculate the shear modulus of the frozen soil-rock mixtures. Given the effect of pore structure of soil-rock mixtures at normal temperatures, its shear modulus was also calculated by using of the three-layer embedded model. Experimental comparison showed that compared with the two-layer embedded model, the effect predicted by the three-layer embedded model of the soil-rock mixtures was better. The shear modulus of the soil-rock mixtures gradually increased with the increase in rock regardless of temperature, and the increment rate of the shear modulus increased rapidly particularly when the rock content ranged from 50% to 70%. The shear modulus of the frozen soil-rock mixtures was nearly 3.7 times higher than that of the soil-rock mixtures at a normal temperature.