• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.29-40
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• 2023

In this study, we investigated the reinforcing effects of waveform micropiles in a stratigraphic setting comprising buried soil, weathered soil, and weathered rock. We conducted a series of field load tests and determined that waveform micropiles exhibited sufficient bearing capacity through frictional resistance in the soil layer and demonstrated favorable constructability in conditions with deep bedrock layers. Moreover, the vertical stiffness of waveform micropiles was approximately 2.2 times higher than that of conventional micropiles when subjected to the same design load. Pile group load tests comprising conventional and waveform micropiles showed that micropiles with higher stiffness carried a greater proportion of the load. Although there was no significant difference in the bearing capacity between conventional and waveform micropiles under the same design load, waveform micropiles with higher stiffness showed a load-carrying capacity 1.7 to 3.2 times greater than that of conventional micropiles. These findings suggest that waveform micropiles can be effectively used for foundation reinforcement and reduce the risk of foundation failure when increased loads due to modifications such as expansion remodeling are expected.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.87-95
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• 2014

Recently, there are increasing technical needs for foundation retrofit project such as vertical extension of apartment building. This paper focuses on the load distribution characteristics of existing and reinforcing piles when reinforcing pile is installed to the existing foundation. Allowable bearing load was initially applied on the foundation slab supported with four existing piles and then, one reinforcing pile was installed at the center of foundation slab and additional load was applied. The experimental results showed the Load Distribution Ratio (LDR) between existing and reinforcing piles converged after the applied load exceeded allowable bearing capacity of all piles. Laboratory tests were also performed for the cases of 60 %, 80 %, 100 % unloading level of allowable bearing load. After unloading step, one reinforcing pile was installed at the center of foundation slab and additional load was applied. The results showed that reloading load level at which LDR between existing and reinforcing piles converged decreased as the amount of unloading load increased.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.439-453
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• 2023

Older brick masonry structures generally suffer from low strength defects. Using a cement mortar layer (CML) or steel-meshed cement mortar layer (S-CML) to reinforce existing low-strength brick masonry structures (LBMs) is still an effective means of increasing seismic performance. However, performance indices such as lateral displacement ratios and skeleton curves for LBMs reinforced with CML or S-CML need to be clarified in performance-based seismic design and evaluation. Therefore, research into the failure mechanisms and seismic performance of LBMs reinforced with CML or S-CML is imperative. In this study, thirty low-strength brick walls (LBWs) with different cross-sectional areas, bonding mortar types, vertical loads, and CML/S-CML thicknesses were constructed. The failure modes, load-carrying capacities, energy dissipation capacity and lateral drift ratio limits in different limits states were acquired via quasi-static tests. The results show that 1) the primary failure modes of UBWs and RBWs are "diagonal shear failure" and "sliding failure through joints." 2) The acceptable drift ratios of Immediate Occupancy (IO), Life Safety (LS), and Collapse Prevention (CP) for UBWs can be 0.04%, 0.08%, and 0.3%, respectively. For 20-RBWs, the acceptable drift ratios of IO, LS, and CP for 20-RBWs can be 0.037%, 0.09%, and 0.41%, respectively. Moreover, the acceptable drift ratios of IO, LS, and CP for 40-RBWs can be 0.048%, 0.09%, and 0.53%, respectively. 3) Reinforcing low-strength brick walls with CML/S-CML can improve brick walls' bearing capacity, deformation, and energy dissipation capacity. Using CML/S-CML reinforcement to improve the seismic performance of old masonry houses is a feasible and practical choice.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.253-266
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• 2021

The sufficient early strength of primary support is crucial for stabilizing the surroundings, especially for the tunnels constructed in soil. This paper introduces the Steel-Concrete Composite Support System (SCCS), a new support with high bearing capacity and flexible, rapid construction. The bearing characteristics and construction performance of SCCS were systematically studied using a three-dimensional numerical model. A sensitivity analysis was also performed. It was found that the stress of a π-shaped steel arch decreased with an increase in the thickness of the wall, and increased linearly with an increase in the rate of stress release. In the horizontal direction of the arch section, the nodal stresses of the crown and the shoulder gradually increased in longitudinally, and in the vertical direction, the nodal stresses gradually decreased from top to bottom. The stress distribution at the waist, however, was opposite to that at the crown and the shoulder. By analyzing the stress of the arch section under different installation gaps, the sectional stress evolution was found to have a step-growth trend at the crown and shoulder. The stress evolution at the waist is more likely to have a two-stage growth trend: a slow growth stage and a fast growth stage. The maximum tensile and compressive stresses of the secondary lining supported by SCCS were reduced on average by 38.0% and 49.0%, respectively, compared with the traditional support. The findings can provide a reference for the supporting technology in tunnels driven in loess.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.391-404
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• 2018

Researchers have been long studying new building implementation methods to improve the quality of construction, reduce the time of assembly, and increase productivity. One of these methods is the use of modular pre-fabricated structural forms that are composed of a beam, column, short column, pyramidal end block, and connection plates. In this study, a new geometry for the pyramidal end block was proposed that helps facilitate the assembly procedure. Since the proposed configuration affects the performance of this form of connection, its behavior was evaluated using finite element method. For this purpose, the connection was modeled in ABAQUS and then validated by comparing the outputs with experimental results. The research proceeded through analyzing 16 specimens under monotonic and cyclic loading. The results indicated that using the pyramidal end block not only makes the assembly process easier but also reduces the out-of-plane displacement of the short column webs and the vertical displacement of beam end. By choosing appropriate section properties for column and beam, the connection can bear a rotation up to 0.01 radians within its inelastic region and a total of 0.04 radians without any significant reduction in its bearing capacity.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 1999.10a
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• pp.87-94
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• 1999

Sand drain as a vertical drainage is widely used in soft ground improvement. Recently, sand, the principal source of sand drain, is running out. A laboratory model test was carried out to utilize gravel as a substitute for sand. Though which the characteristics of gravel are compared to those of sand for engineering purpose. Two cylindrical containers for the model test were filled with marine clayey soil from the west coast of Korea with a column in the center, one with sand, the other with gravel. Vibrating wire type piezometers were installed at the distance of 1.0D, 1.5D and 2.0D from the center of the column. D is the diameter of the column. The transient process of pore water pressure with loading and the characteristics of consolidation were studied with the data gained from the measuring instrument place on the surface of the container. The parameter study was performed for the marine clayey soil before and after the test in order to check the effectiveness of the improvement. The clogging effect was checked at various depth in gravel column after the test. According to the test, the settlement was found to be smaller in gravel drain than in sand drain. The increase in bearing capacity by gravel pile explains the result. The clogging effect was not found in gravel column. As a result, it is assumed that gravel is relatively acceptable as a drainage material.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.37-52
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• 1997

This paper discribes the practical application of stability analysis on the revetment structures, and four different sections of revetment structures are considered in this study. As a result of stability analysis, the the section of inclined revetment with T.T.P. block shows the highest safety factor against to the sliding failure of cap concrete block, while the section of inclined revetment with rubble stone shows the highest safety factor against to the straight and circular sliding failure. And the safety factors are increased by increasing of the rigidity of covered materials and by decreasing of the slope angle. For the safety factor of overturnning and bearing capacity, the section of inclined revetment structures shows higher safety factors than the section of vertical structures, and the safety factors are increased by decreasing of the slope angle and by increasing of the bottom width of the structures.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.461-481
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• 2016

The research described in this paper investigates the seismic behaviour of lightly reinforced concrete (RC) bearing sandwich panels, heavily conditioned by shear deformation. A numerical model has been prepared, within an open source finite element (FE) platform, to simulate the experimental response of this emerging structural system, whose squat-type geometry affects performance and failure mode. Calibration of this equivalent mechanical model, consisting of a group of regularly spaced vertical elements in combination with a layer of nonlinear springs, which represent the cyclic behaviour of concrete and steel, has been conducted by means of a series of pseudo-static cyclic tests performed on single full-scale prototypes with or without openings. Both cantilevered and fixed-end shear walls have been analyzed. After validation, this numerical procedure, including cyclic-related mechanisms, such as buckling and subsequent slippage of reinforcing re-bars, as well as concrete crushing at the base of the wall, has been used to assess the capacity of two- and three-dimensional low- to mid-rise box-type buildings and, hence, to estimate their strength reduction factors, on the basis of conventional pushover analyses.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.345-358
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• 2020

Numerous studies have repeatedly demonstrated the efficiency of using skirts to increase the bearing capacity and to reduce settlement of shallow foundations subjected to static loads. However, no efforts have been made to study the efficiency of using these skirts to reduce settlement produced by machine vibration, although machines are very sensitive to settlement and the foundations of these machines should be designed properly to ensure that the settlement produced due to machine vibration is very small. This research has been conducted to investigate the efficiency of using skirts as a technique to reduce the settlement of a strip foundation subjected to machine vibration. A two-dimensional finite element model has been developed, validated, and employed to achieve the aim of the study. The results of the analyses showed that the use of skirts reduces the settlement produced due to machine vibration. However, the percentage decrease of the settlement is remarkably influenced by the density of the soil and the frequency of vibration, where it rises as the frequency of vibration increases and declines as the soil density rises. It was also found that increasing skirt length increases the percentage decrease of the settlement. Importantly, the results obtained from the analyses have been utilized to derive new dynamic impedance values that implicitly consider the presence of skirts. Finally, novel design equations of dynamic impedance that implicitly account to the effect of the skirts have been derived and validated utilizing a new intelligent data driven method. These new equations can be used in future designs of skirted strip foundations subjected to machine vibration.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.447-462
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• 2019

The vacuum preloading method has been used in many countries for ground improvement and land reclamation works. A sand cushion is required as a horizontal drainage channel for conventional vacuum preloading. In terms of the dredged-fill foundation soil, the treatment effect of the conventional vacuum preloading method is poor, particularly in Tianjin, China, where a shortage of sand exists. To solve this problem, straight-line vacuum preloading without sand is widely adopted in engineering practice to improve the foundation soil. Based on the engineering properties of dredged fill in Lingang City, Tianjin, this paper presents field instrumentation in five sections and analyzes the effect of a prefabricated vertical drain (PVD) layout and a vacuum pumping method on the soft soil ground treatment. Through the arrangement of pore water pressure gauges, settlement marks and vane shear tests, the settlement, pore water pressure and subsoil bearing capacity are analyzed to evaluate the effect of the ground treatment. This study demonstrates that straight-line vacuum preloading without sand can be suitable for areas with a high water content. Furthermore, the consolidation settlement and consolidation degree system is developed based on the grey model to predict the consolidation settlement and consolidation degree under vacuum preloading; the validity of the system is also verified.