• International Journal of Highway Engineering
• /
• v.18 no.5
• /
• pp.11-19
• /
• 2016

PURPOSES : This study identifies the causes and the mechanism of the occurrence of underground cavities. METHODS : A case study on cave-in and a series of model tests with a small soil chamber were conducted. RESULTS : A hypothesis about the mechanism of the cave-in in road was established, and the basic influencing factors on underground cavity expansion were identified. CONCLUSIONS : It was found that the characteristics of shear strength of soil and direction of water flow had a larger influence on cavity formation and expansion than the characteristics of internal erosion. In addition, large cavities suddenly expanded when cavities were caused owing to breakage of buried sewer pipe.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.19-25
• /
• 2018

PURPOSES : The purpose of this study is to identify the road-subsidence mechanism in unsaturated sandy soils. METHODS : A series of soil chamber tests were conducted under various conditions. RESULTS : The cavity-expansion characteristics in unsaturated sandy soils due to seepage were affected by the outlet size, seepage intensity, relative density, and fine content. CONCLUSIONS : In unsaturated sandy soils, the cavity-expansion speed was affected by the outlet size, relative density, seepage intensity, and clay content; however, the cavity-expansion shape was very similar. As the outlet size and seepage intensity increased, the cavity-expansion speed increased. As the relative density increased, the cavity-expansion speed increased because of a sudden decrease in shear strength, resulting from the increased saturation (reduction of matric suction). The cavity expanded faster with the increasing clay content, up to a certain threshold. It expanded at a slower rate once it passed the threshold. Finally, it reached a stable state where the cavity did not expand due to seepage.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
• /
• 1999.11c
• /
• pp.129-141
• /
• 1999

This paper presents the results of plate load test and dynamic load test performed to evaluate the performance of geocell where it is used to reinforce soft subgrade for high-speed railroad. Efficacy of geocell was observed in increase in bearing capacity of subgrade and reduction of thickness of reinforced sub-ballast. Plate load tests were carried out at four different places with varying foundation soil strength as a function of number of geocell layer, type of filler material, thickness of cover soil, and the presence of non-woven geotextile. Dynamic load tests were performed in a laboratory. The test soil chamber consists of, from the bottom, 50 cm thick clayey soil, one layer of geocell filled with crushed stone, 10 cm thick crushed stone cover, reinforced sub-ballast of varying thickness, 35 cm thick ballast. This configuration was determined based on the results of numerical analysis and plate load tests. For each set of the dynamic load tests, loads were applied more than 80,000 times. One layer of geocell underlying a 10 cm thick cover soil led to an increase in bearing capacity three to four times compared to a crushed stone layer of the same thickness substituted for the geocell and cover soil layer. Given the test conditions, the thickness of reinforced sub-ballast can be reduced by approximately 35 cm with the presence of geocell.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.17 no.5
• /
• pp.475-483
• /
• 2019

Vegetation cover plays a vital role in stabilizing the soil structure, thereby contributing to surface erosion control. Surface vegetation acts as a shelterbelt that controls the flow velocity and reduces the kinetic energy of the water near the soil surface, whereas vegetation roots reinforce the soil via the formation of root-particle interactions that reduce particle detachment. In this study, two vegetation-testing trials were conducted. The first trial was held on cool-season turfgrasses seeded in a biopolymer-treated site soil in an open greenhouse. At the end of the test, the most suitable grass type was suggested for the second vegetation test, which was conducted in an environmental control chamber. In the second test, biopolymers, namely, starch and xanthan gum hydrogels (pure starch, pure xanthan gum, and xanthan gum-starch mixtures), were tested as soil conditioners for improving the water-holding capacity and vegetation growth in sandy soils. The results support the possibility that biopolymer treatments may enhance the survival rate of vegetation under severe drought environments, which could be applicable for soil stabilization in arid and semiarid regions.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.16 no.5
• /
• pp.547-558
• /
• 2018

Studies of soil dynamic properties in Malaysia are still very limited. This study aims to investigate the dynamic properties of two selected tropical residual soils (i.e., Sandy Clay and Sandy Silt) and a sand mining trail (Silty Sand) in Peninsular Malaysia using 1g shaking table test. The use of 1g shaking table test for soil dynamic testing is often constrained to large strain level and small confining pressure only. Three new experimental setups, namely large laminar shear box test (LLSBT), small chamber test with positive air pressure (SCT), and small sample test with suction (SSTS) are attempted with the aims of these experimental setups are capable of evaluating the dynamic properties of soils covering a wider range of shear strain and confining pressure. The details of each experimental setup are described explicitly in this paper. Experimental results show that the combined use of the LLSBT and SCT is capable of rendering soil dynamic properties covering a strain range of 0.017%-1.48% under confining pressures of 5-100 kPa. The studied tropical residual soils in Malaysia behaved neither as pure sand nor clay, but show a relatively good agreement with the dynamic properties of residual soils in Singapore. Effects of confining pressure and plasticity index on the studied tropical residual soils are found to be insignificant in this particular study.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
• /
• 2008.10a
• /
• pp.117-125
• /
• 2008

The detection of thin-layered soil is important in soft soils to evaluate the soil behavior. The smaller diameter cone penetrometer have been commonly used to detect the layer with increasing sensitivity. The objective of this study is to detect the thin-layered soil using cone resistance and electrical resistance. The cone resistivity penetration test (CRPT) is developed to evaluate the cone tip resistance and electrical resistance at the tip. The CRPT is a micro-cone which has a $0.78cm^2$ in projected area. The application test is conducted in a laboratory large-scale consolidometer (calibration chamber). The kaolinite, sand and water are mixed to make the specimen at the liquid limit of 46% using a slurry mixer. It takes two months for the consolidation of the specimen. After consolidation, the CRPT test is carried out. Furthermore the standard CPT results are compared with the electrical resistance measured at the tip in the field. This study suggests that the CRPT may be a useful tool for detecting thin-layers in soft soils.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.2 no.3
• /
• pp.177-190
• /
• 2010

This paper presents the details of indigenous development of the piezovibrocone and calibration chamber. The developed cone has a cylindrical friction sleeve of $150cm^2$ surface area, capped with a $60^{\circ}$ apex angle conical tip of $15cm^2$ cross sectional area. It has a hydraulic shaker, coupled to the cone penetrometer with a linear displacement unit. The hydraulic shaker can produce cyclic load in different types of wave forms (sine, Hover sine, triangular, rectangular and external wave) at a range of frequency 1-10 Hz with maximum amplitude of 10 cm. The piezovibrocone can be driven at the standard rate of 2 cm/sec using a loading unit of 10 ton capacity. The calibration chamber is of size $2m{\times}2m{\times}2m$. The sides of the chamber and the top as well as the bottom portions are rigid. It has a provision to apply confining pressure (to a maximum value of $4kg/cm^2$) through the flexible rubber membrane inlined with the side walls of the calibration chamber. The preliminary static as well as dynamic cone penetration tests have been done sand in the calibration chamber. From the experimental results, an attempt has been made to classify the soil based on friction ratio ($f_R$) and the cone tip resistance ($q_c$).

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.8 no.1
• /
• pp.33-40
• /
• 1988

The new technique has been used to determine the soil-reinforcement interaction. The testing apparatus is essentially a triaxial cell fitted with the capability to house a hollow cylinderical sample. A hollow cylinderical sand specimen with a concentrical layer of reinfarcing material sandwitched in the middle is used in this investigation. The reinforcement is fastened at the base. The hollow specimen can be viewed as a "unit sheet" of a soil-reinforcement composite system of infinite horizontal extent. Axial load as well as inner and outer chamber pressures can be applied to perform a test. The specimen is first subjected to an isotropic stress state corresponding to the overburden pressure. Next, an extension test by reducing the axial load is carried out. The specimen is "loaded" to failure by either the breakage of reinforcing material (tensile failure) or slippage which takes place at the soil-reinforcement interface (i.e. the overcoming of the bonding capacity). Since the reinforcement is fastened at its lower end to the base, any tendency of relative movement between the reinforcement and the sand during an extension test can induce tensile force in the reinforcement thus forming a "reversed pull-out" test condition. Preliminary test results have demonstrated positively of the new approach to test the soil-reinforcement interaction. Reinforcing elements of different extensibility were used to study the deformbility of reinforced soil. Furthermore, both the breakage and the pull-out modes of failure were observed.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.235-241
• /
• 2000

The existing methods for installation of long steel pipe pile have some uneconomical problems such as increase of installation cost and period due to the welding of two piles and removal of soil plug, and decrease of driving efficiency due to the increase of driving resistance resulting from time effect during the welding of piles and removal of soil plug, etc. Thus, in this study, new installation method for long steel pipe pile is suggested to solve the existing problems, and calibration chamber tests were performed to investigate both driving and economical efficiency for the suggested method. The test results showed that the new method increased bearing capacity, and decreased the installation cost and period for long steel pipe piles compared with existing methods.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
• /
• 2009.09a
• /
• pp.913-922
• /
• 2009

Fourteen model pile load tests using a calibration chamber and instrumented model pile were preformed to investigate the variation of the behaviors of driven piles in sands with soil and lateral cyclic loading conditions. Results of the model tests showed that the first loading cycle generated more than 70% of the pile head rotation developed for 50 lateral loading cycles. Lateral cyclic loading also made an increase of the ultimate lateral load capacity of piles for $K_0$=0.4 and an decrease for $K_0$ higher than 0.4. Higher portion of the increase or decrease in the ultimate lateral load capacity by lateral cyclic loading was generated for the first loading cycle due to densification of loosening of the soil around the pile by lateral cyclic loading. It was also observed that a two-way cyclic loading caused higher ultimate lateral load capacity of driven piles than a one-way cyclic loading. When the pile was in the ultimate state, the maximum bending moment developed in the pile increased with increasing $K_0$ value of soil and was insensitive to the magnitude and number of lateral cyclic loading.