• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.105-131
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• 2014

In this paper, the effects of variability of smear zone characteristics induced by installation of prefabricated vertical drains on the preloading design are investigated employing analytical and numerical approaches. Conventional radial consolidation theory has been adopted to conduct analytical parametric studies considering variations of smear zone permeability and extent. FLAC 2D finite difference software has been employed to conduct the numerical simulations. The finite difference analyses have been verified using three case studies including two embankments and a large-scale laboratory consolidometer with a central geosynthetic vertical drain. A comprehensive numerical parametric study is conducted to investigate the influence of smear zone permeability and extent on the model predictions. Furthermore, the construction of the trial embankment is recommended as a reliable solution to estimate accurate smear zone properties and minimise the post construction settlement. A back-calculation procedure is employed to determine the minimum required waiting time after construction of the trial embankment to predict the smear zone characteristics precisely. Results of this study indicate that the accurate smear zone permeability and extent can be back-calculated when 30% degree of consolidation is obtained after construction of the trial embankment.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.17-31
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• 2014

This paper investigates the development of failure surfaces induced by an embankment on soft marine clay deposits and the characteristics of such surfaces through numerical simulations and its comparative study with monitoring results. It is well known that the factor of safety of embankment slopes is closely related to the vertical loading, including the height of the embankment. That is, an increase in the embankment height reduces the factor of safety. However, few studies have examined the relationship between the lateral movement of soft soil beneath the embankment and the factor of safety. In addition, no study has investigated the distribution of the pore pressure coefficient B value along the failure surface. This paper conducts a continuum analysis using finite difference methods to characterize the development of failure surfaces during embankment construction on soft marine clay deposits. The results of the continuum analysis for failure surfaces, stress, displacement, and the factor of safety can be used for the management of embankment construction. In failure mechanism, it has been validated that a large shear displacement causes change of stress and pore pressure along the failure surface. In addition, the pore pressure coefficient B value decreases along the failure surface as the embankment height increases. This means that the rate of change in stress is higher than that in pore pressure.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.57-65
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• 2013

Carbonate sands can be crushed under low confining pressure to achieve high compressibility. So particle crushing has significant influence on characteristics of strength and deformation. Trial embankment and hydrotest are conducted on Sabkha layer, consisting of carbonate sand to build tank structure. In this paper the settlement behavior was analyzed from each test. Particle crushing happened from 80 to 170kPa stress under compression test, and calcium was detected from chemical test. The test result came out Sabkha soil was very weak and easy to be crushing. About trial embankment test, particle crushing was not happen, and then extinction of pore water pressure and settlements were finished just during 2 days. On the other hand, the long-term settlement was happened in hydrotest. So the two test results did not correspond to each other. If loading stress is higher than yielding stress, instant settlement and secondary compression settlement are happened as a result of the particle crushing.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.499-510
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• 2024

In northern China, abundant summer rainfall and a higher water table can weaken the soil due to salt heave, collapsibility, and increased moisture absorption, thus the chlorine saline soil (silty clay) needs to be stabilized prior to use in road embankments. To optimize chlorine saline soil stabilizing programs, unconfined compressive strength tests were conducted on soil treated with five different stabilizers before and after soaking, followed by field compaction test and unconfined compressive strength test on a trial road embankment. In situ testing were performed with the stabilized soils in an expressway embankment, and the results demonstrated that the stabilized soil with lime and SH agent (an organic stabilizer composed of modified polyvinyl alcohol and water) is suitable for road embankments. The appropriate addition ratio of stabilized soil is 10% lime and 0.9% SH agent. SH agent wrapped soil particles, filled soil pores, and generated a silk-like web to improve the moisture stability, strength, and stress-strain performance of stabilized soil.

• Journal of Korean Port Research
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.463-473
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• 2000

Reinforcement with geotextiles have been used in the foundation soil to enhance the resistance of embankments to avoid failure through excessive deformation or shear in the foundation. It is improtant to know the amount of the strain and the displacement of buried geotextiles for the verification of the reinforcement behaviour. Full scale trial constructions were performed to check the deformational characteristics of the polyester(PET) mat which was used for the embankment reinforcement. Many instrumentation equipments including surface settlement plates, profile gauges and inclinometer casings were installed to observe the behaviour of the soft ground due to the soil embankment. 60 electrical resistance strain gauges and 9 vibrating wire LVDTs were installed 세 measure the deformation of the polyester mat. Results of various tests and geotextile, waterproofing and protection from the hazard environments were introduced. The proposed instrumentation method was effective for the monitoring or the geotextile behaviour. The direct attachment of electrical resistance strain gauges on the gertextile mat was able to measure small changes of the strain of geotextiles. At the end of the 5 month monitoring, 54 of 60 (93%) strain gauges and 7 of 9 (78%) displacement transducers survived all perils of the compaction impacts and the humidity. And the tensile strain of grotextiles increased as the ground displacement became larger. Though the observed strain of mats under the 3m high embankment load was less than 1%, the magnitudes of the strain according to the mat spreading method were different from each other.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.13-21
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• 2006

Geosynthetic damage has attracted a major attention since the introduction of geotextiles for civil engineering applications. In this study 3 pilot trial embankments were carried out to investigate the behaviours of reinforced embankments over soft cohesive soils and to find the optimum methodology of embankments over soft soils. As the seamed part of polyester mat (PET, tensile strength 15 ton) used in the first full-scale field test was ruptured under progressing rotational slope failure because of unexpectedly rapid construction of embankments, the excessive pore water pressures were measured. On the soil behavior where tension explosion of mat was continued, pore pressure larger than the one caused by embankment height was measured. Especially, at the depth of 5.0 m under the ground pore pressure increased over long term. It was discussed with respect to the height of embankment and heaving behavior of soft soils.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.85-92
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• 2014

Structures that have constructed in soft clay might suffer from many issues related to consolidation settlement or lateral movement of soft-clay during long-term period. Therefore, it is important to establish proper design and construction processes related to site investigation, soil improvement, construction management, and so on. This case study focused on the construction of the rahmen structure supported by pile foundations. Especially, the structure in this case had been constructed without improving underlying soft clay and before constructing backfill embankment due to the limited construction time and the traffic connection of the old road crossing new highway. Therefore, in order to satisfy the structural stability, the construction processes and countermeasure methods were carefully planned based on the results of preliminary numerical analyses and monitoring of ground behaviors. Through the trial and error precess during the construction, the structures had been successfully constructed.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.86-102
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• 1981

The soil test data of 28 earth dams, scheduled to be constructed in Kore3, were selected for this study. The safety factors of their side slops were computed using Fellenius' "slice Method" by computer. The results summarized in this study are as follows; 1. Dam sections can be easily determined by fig.10 without a time consuming trial and error calculations of assumed sections. 2. For the economical design of earth dam sections, it was found that more cohesive soil was suitable for lower dams(dam height less than 25m) and soils with a higher friction angle was better for higher dams 3. In the case that used soil materials have the same Internal friction angle, side slope increase was almost same. 4. The relationship between side slope and friction angle was found as log.S=a tan ø+b (Fig. 7) 5. The relationship between side slope and cohesion (c) was also found as log. S=a c+b (Fig. 8) 6. The change of safety factors due to the change of central core materials was very little (Table-2) 7. The decrease of safety factors according to the unit weight increase of embankment materials was negligible. 8. In general the relationship between the wet unit weight and the saturated unit weight was r sat = (rt)$^2$+0. 140. This study will contribute to the determination of economic and safe planning and designing of earth dams, embankments and cutting side slopes.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Railway
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.248-256
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• 2017

Groundwater drawdown was pointed out as one of the causes of induced settlement on high speed railways, especially concrete track. In this study, the effect of groundwater variation on settlement was evaluated through a comparison of field measurements with numerical analysis results. A trial and error method, i.e., repeated numerical analyses by changing material properties, was used to calibrate the model. The model was applied to investigate the effect of groundwater drawdown, thickness of soft layer, and embankment height on residual settlement after concrete track completion. A soft layer thicker than 4m would result in more than 30mm of settlement; a detailed analysis of groundwater behavior thus should be conducted from the design stage to construction.