• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• 제9권1호
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• pp.1-27
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• 2022

Extensive laboratory tests were conducted to investigate the effect of load amplitude, geogrid position, and number of geogrid layers, thickness of ballast layer and clay stiffness on behavior of reinforced ballast layer and induced strains in geogrid. A half full-scale railway was constructed for carrying out the tests, the model consists of two rails 800 mm in length with three wooden sleepers (900 mm × 10 mm × 10 mm). The ballast was overlying 500 mm thickness clay in two states, soft and stiff state. Laboratory tests were conducted to investigate the response of the ballast and the clay layers where the ballast was reinforced by a geogrid. Settlement in ballast and clay, soil pressure and pore water pressure induced in the clay were measured in reinforced and unreinforced ballast cases. It was concluded that the effect of frequency on the settlement ratio is almost constant after 500 cycles. This is due to that the total settlement after 500 cycles, almost reached its peak value, which means that the ballast particles become very close to each other, so the frequency is less effective for high contact particles forces. The average maximum vertical stress and pore water pressure increased with frequency.

• 한국철도학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국철도학회 2007년도 춘계학술대회 논문집
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• pp.404-411
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• 2007

Reinforced roadbeds are valued from the point of view of maintenance as well as enhanced mechanical capacity. They support more train load and less transmit to the sub-layers than general roadbeds. Also, the lateral sloping surface of the reinforced roadbed and its low permeability, achieved by the controlled compaction, increase drainage capability and prevent the softening of sub-layers. In the study, a series of cross-hole tests was performed to observe the temporal changes in the stiffness of reinforced roadbeds, if any, due to the cyclic loading of trains and alternating rainy and frozen seasons at Pyeong-taek experimental site. The three types of reinforced roadbed materials are slag, crushed stones, and soils, and the thickness of all the reinforced roadbeds is 0.8m. The stiffness of the slag and soil reinforced roadbeds was not changed or slightly decreased. The stiffness of the crushed stone was somewhat increased and is inferred to being densified close to surface.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 재33권6호
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• pp.583-596
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• 2023

The interlayers, either softer or stiffer than the surrounding layers, are usually overlooked during field investigation due to the small thickness. They may be neglected through the analysis process for simplicity. However, they may significantly affect the dynamic behavior of the soil-foundation system. In this study, a series of 3D finite-element Direct-solution steady-state harmonic analyses were carried out using ABAQUS/CAE software to investigate the impacts of interlayers on the dynamic response of a cast in place pile group subjected to horizontal harmonic load. The experimental data of a 3×2 pile group testing was used to verify the numerical modeling. The effects of thickness, depth, and shear modulus of the interlayers on the dynamic response of the pile group are investigated. The simulations were conducted on both stiff and soft soils. It was found that the soft interlayers affect the frequency-amplitude curve of the system only in frequencies higher than 70% of the resonant frequency of the base soil. While, the effect of stiff interlayer in soft base soil started at frequency of 35% of the resonant frequency of the base soil. Also, it was observed that a shallow stiff interlayer increased the resonant amplitude by 11%, while a deep one only increased the resonant frequency by 7%. Moreover, a shallow soft interlayer increased the resonant frequency by 20% in soft base soils, whereas, it had an effect as low as 6% on resonant amplitude. Also, the results showed that deep soft interlayers increased the resonant amplitude by 17 to 20% in both soft and stiff base soils due to a reduction in lateral support of the piles. In the cases of deep thick, soft interlayers, the resonant frequency reduced significantly, i.e., 16 to 20%. It was found that the stiff interlayers were most effective on the amplitude and frequency of the pile group.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 제13권5호
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• pp.775-791
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• 2017

Surface wave techniques are widely used as non-invasive method for geotechnical site characterization. Field surface wave data are collected and analyzed using different processing techniques to generate the dispersion curves, which are further used to extract the shear wave velocity profile by inverse problem solution. Characteristics of a dispersion curve depend on the subsurface layering information of a vertically heterogeneous medium. Sometimes soft layer can be found between two stiff layers in the vertically heterogeneous media, and it can affect the wave propagation dramatically. Now most of the surface wave techniques use the fundamental mode Rayleigh wave propagation during the inversion, but this may not be the actual scenario when a soft layer is present in a vertically layered medium. This paper presents a detailed and comprehensive study using finite element method to examine the effect of soft layers which sometimes get trapped between two high velocity layers. Determination of the presence of a soft layer is quite important for proper mechanical characterization of a soil deposit. Present analysis shows that the thickness and position of the trapped soft layer highly influence the dispersion of Rayleigh waves while the higher modes also contribute in the resulting wave propagation.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 제37권4호
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• pp.341-358
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• 2024

This paper reports several plane-strain trapdoor tests conducted to investigate the effects of reinforcement on soil arching development under localized surface loading with a loading plate width three times the trapdoor width. An analogical soil composed of aluminum rods with three different diameters was used as the backfill and Kraft paper with two different stiffness values was used as the reinforcement material. Four reinforcement arrangements were investigated: (1) no reinforcement, (2) one low stiffness reinforcement R1, (3) one high stiffness reinforcement R2, and (4) two low stiffness reinforcements R1 with a backfill layer in between. The stiffness of R2 was approximately twice that of R1; therefore, two R1 had approximately the same total stiffness as one R2. Test results indicate that the use of reinforcement minimized soil arching degradation under localized surface loading. Soil arching with reinforcement degraded more at unloading stages as compared to that at loading stages. The use of stiffer reinforcement had the advantages of more effectively minimizing soil arching degradation. As compared to one high stiffness reinforcement layer, two low stiffness reinforcement layers with a backfill layer of certain thickness in between promoted soil arching under localized surface loading. Due to different states of soil arching development with and without reinforcement, an analytical multi-stage soil arching model available in the literature was selected in this study to calculate the average vertical pressures acting on the trapdoor or on the deflected reinforcement section under both the backfill self-weight and localized surface loading.

• 한국환경농학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국환경농학회 2011년도 30주년 정기총회 및 국제심포지엄
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• pp.207-222
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• 2011

Relationships between soil saturated hydraulic conductivity ($K_s$) and porosity (${\phi}$) have been developed over many years; however, use of these relationships for evaluating rain-induced seals is limited mainly because of difficulties in estimating seal pore-size characteristics. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the $K_s$ of soil surface seals over a range of thicknesses, where seal thickness was determined using a High-Resolution-Computed-Tomography (HRCT) scanner, and to investigate relationships between $K_s$ and ${\phi}$ of developing seals in samples with equivalent diameters (e.d.) ${\geq}15\;{\mu}m$. A Mexico silt loam soil was packed to a bulk density (${\rho}_b$) of $1.1\;Mg\;m^{-3}$ in cylinders 160-mm i.d. by 160-mm long and subjected to $61-mm\;h^{-1}$ simulated rainfall having a kinetic energy (KE) of $25\;J\;m^{-2}\;min^{-1}$ for 7.5, 15, 30, and 60 min to create a range in seal development. Thicknesses of the seal layers were determined by analysis of HRCT images of seals. The $K_s$ values of the seals were estimated using an effective $K_s$ value ($K_{s-eff}$). The $K_s-{\phi}$ relationship was described by a Kozeny and Carmen equation, $K_s=B{\phi}^n$; where B and n are empirical constants and n = 31. This approach explained 86% of the variation between $K_s$ and ${\phi}$ within the soil seals. Knowledge of surface seal information and hydraulic conductivity can provide useful information to use in management of sites prone to sealing formation.

• 한국지반공학회논문집
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• 제22권5호
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• pp.83-91
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• 2006

최근 지구온난화현상으로 인해 발생하는 국지성 호우는 철도 연변사면 활동 및 활동 토체로 인한 선로매몰 그리고 선로유실 등의 불안정성을 초래하는 요인으로 대두되고 있다. 강우로 인한 사면의 거동에 대한 현장조사 결과 토층의 두께 및 사면의 형태적 특성 등에 따라 서로 다른 활동특성이 관측되었다. 이와 같은 활동특성을 천층 활동타입, 중간층 활동타입, 우곡부 활동타입, 암반 경계부 활동타입 4가지로 분류하였다. 이러한 관측과 관련하여 각 타입의 활동메커니즘을 규명하고 강우시 사면의 거동특성을 분석하고자 실내모형실험을 수행하였다. 실내모형실험은 미립분함량, 초기함수비, 경사각, 다짐에너지를 고정 변수로 취하고 토피고, 강우강도, 사면표면의 형태를 변화시키는 조건으로 수행되었다. 실내모형실험의 결과 천층 활동은 주로 표층에서 발생하며 침식에 의한 활동임을 알 수 있었다. 또한 초기 침식이 상대적으로 다른 활동타입에 비해서 늦게 발생하였으나 침식의 진행은 빨랐다. 우곡부 활동타입은 우곡부로 집수된 빗물로 인하여 침식 정도가 더 심하게 진행되었으며 사면내 위치하는 전석이 드러날 정도였다. 전석층까지 침식이 발생한후 전석의 존재로 인하여 추가적인 침식이 상대적으로 그 이전보다 느리게 발생하였다. 암반 경계부 활동타입의 경우 본 실험에서 가장 빨리 초기 활동 발생이 관측되었다. 각 활동타입에서 공통적으로 관측된 사항은 사면의 하단부에서 초기 변형이 관측되었으며 이러한 관측은 사면내 침투수의 사면방향의 흐름을 의미한다.

• 한국건설관리학회논문집
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• 제10권6호
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• pp.40-47
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• 2009

경량기포혼합토는 경량성으로 인해 구조물 등에 작용하는 하중이 저감되어 연약지반의 뒷채움 재료로 사용되지만, 일반토사에 비하여 초기시공비용이 많이 소요되어 아직 국내에서는 많이 적용되고 있지 않다. 주로 뒷채움 재료는 초기시공비가 적게 소요되는 일반토사를 사용하고 있으나, 일반토사의 덧씌우기 공법은 횟수가 증가함에 따라 사용연수가 감소된다. 특히 연약지반에 설치된 BOX구조물이나 교대 뒷채움 인근의 단차 발생 시 덧씌우기 공법은 일시적인 대체공법은 가능하지만, 덧씌우기 두께에 대한 하중만큼 추가 하중이 발생하게 되므로 결국 단차에 대한 해결책은 되지 못한다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 BOX구조물 뒷채움 재료인 일반토사와 경량기포혼합토의 두 가지 대안에 대하여 LCC 분석을 실시하고 경제적 측면에서 보다 합리적인 의사결정을 할 수 있는 경제성 분석을 제시하고자 하였다. 그 결과 경량기포혼합토가 일반토사에 비해 초기시공비용은 많이 소요되지만 유지관리 측면에서는 비용이 더 적게 소요되어 경제성을 확보할 수 있는 것으로 분석되었다.

• International Journal of Railway
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.50-54
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• 2015

The primary function of the trackbed in a conventional railway track system is to decrease the stresses in the subgrade to be in an acceptable level. A properly designed trackbed layer performs this task adequately. Many design procedures have used assumed and/or are based on critical stiffness values of the layers obtained mostly in the field to calculate an appropriate thickness of the sublayers of the trackbed foundation. However, those stiffness values do not consider strain levels clearly and precisely in the layers. This study proposes a method of computation of stiffness that can handle with strain level in the layers of the trackbed foundation in order to provide properly selected design values of the stiffness of the layers. The shear modulus values are dependent on shear strain level so that the strain levels generated in the subgrade in the trackbed under wheel loading and below plate of Repeated Plate Bearing Test (RPBT) are investigated by finite element analysis program ABAQUS and PLAXIS programs. The strain levels generated in the subgrade from RPBT are compared to those values from RC (Resonant Column) test after some consideration of strain levels and stress consideration. For comparison of shear modulus G obtained from RC test and stiffness moduli $E_{v2}$ obtained from RPBT in the field, many numbers of mid-size RC tests in laboratory and RPBT in field were performed extensively. It was found in this study that there is a big difference in stiffness modulus when the converted $E_{v2}$ values were compared to those values of RC test. It is verified in this study that it is necessary to use precise and increased loading steps to construct nonlinear curves from RPBT in order to get correct $E_{v2}$ values in proper strain levels.

• 한국지반공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국지반공학회 2000년도 봄 학술발표회 논문집
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• pp.607-614
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• 2000

Settlement with crack on the hardened liners may occur in the weak clay due to waste load since the stiffness of the hardened liner is greater than that of the clay layers. Way of reducing deformation crack in the hardened liner is investigated using two computer programs, CONSOL and FLAC. The computer program CONSOL estimates the magnitude of settlement with time in clay layers and FLAC analyses the stress and deformation relationship between the foundation of landfill and waste load. The results show that a representative block of the analyzed area reaches the consolidation settlement of 1.32m, 8.8 years after the disposal of waste started with the degree of consolidation U=90%. The stress within the hardened liner exceeds the allowable vertical stress of 5kg/$\textrm{cm}^2$ and horizontal stress of 1.67kg/$\textrm{cm}^2$ at the concave part of the liner where the main and branch drainage pipes of leachate are located. It was recognized that the thickness of the interested area should be enlarged or the strength of the same area should be improved to tolerate the planned waste load.