• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.5-16
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• 2002

A hydrogeomechanical numerical model is presented to evaluate rainfall impacts on groundwater flow in slopes and slope stability. This numerical model is developed based on the fully coupled poroelastic governing equations for groundwater flow in deforming variably saturated geologic media and the Galerkin finite element method. A series of numerical experiments using the model developed are then applied to an unsaturated slope under various rainfall rates. The numerical simulation results show that the overall hydromechanical slope stability deteriorates, and the potential failure nay initiate from the slope toe and propagate toward the slope crest as the rainfall rate increases. From the viewpoint of hydrogeology, the pressure head and hence the total hydraulic head increase as the rainfall rate increases. As a result, the groundwater table rises, the unsaturated zone reduces, the seepage face expands from the slope toe toward the slope crest, and the groundwater flow velocity increases along the seepage face. From the viewpoint of geomechanics, the horizontal displacement increases, and the vertical displacement decreases toward the slope toe as the rainfall rate increases. This may result from the buoyancy effect associated with the groundwater table rise as the rainfall rate increases. As a result, the overall deformation intensifies toward the slope toe, and the unstable zone, in which the factor of safety against shear failure is less than 1, becomes thicker near the slope toe and propagates from the slope toe toward the slope crest. The numerical simulation results also suggest that the potential tension failure is likely to occur within the slope between the potential shear failure surface and the ground surface.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.85-94
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• 2011

Mixtures of sand and rubber particles ($D_{sand}/D_{rubber}=1$) are investigated to explore their characteristics under different stain level. Mixtures are prepared with different volumetric sand fractions ($sf=V_{sand}/V_{total}$). Experimental data are gathered from a resonant column, an instrumented oedometer, and a direct shear tests. Results show that sand and rubber differently control the behavior of the whole mixture with strain level. Non-linear degradation of small strain stiffness is observed for the mixtures with $sf{\geq}0.4$, while the mixtures with low sand fraction ($sf{\leq}0.2$) show significantly high elastic threshold strain. Vertical stress-deformation increases dramatically when the rubber particle works as a member of force chain. The strength of the mixtures increases as the content of rubber particle decreases, and contractive behavior is observed in the mixtures with $sf{\leq}0.8$. Rubber particle plays different roles with strain level in the mixture: it increases a coordination number and controls a plasticity of the mixture in small strain; it prevents a buckling of force chain in intermediate strain; it leads a contractive behavior in large strain.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.40 no.7
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• pp.673-677
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• 2016

Recently, engineering applications have started to adopt solutions inspired by nature. The peculiar adhesive properties of gecko skin are an example, as they allow the animal to move freely on vertical walls and even on ceilings. The high adhesive forces between gecko feet and walls are due to the hierarchical microscopical structure of the skin. In this study, the effect of metal coatings on the adhesive strength of synthetic, hierarchically structured, dry adhesives was investigated. Synthetic dry adhesives were fabricated using PDMS micro-molds prepared by photolithography. Metal coatings on synthetic dry adhesives were formed by plasma sputtering. Adhesive strength was measured by pure shear tests. The highest adhesion strengths were found with coatings composed of 4 nm thick layers of Indium, 8 nm thick layers of Zinc and 6 nm thick layers of Gold, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.33-39
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• 2013

A drilling exploration in deep sea is being processed to develop new energy resource in the world. In 2007, the presence of the gas hydrate had been confirmed during the UBGH1 (Ulleung Basin Gas Hydrate Expedition 1) in the Ulleung Basin. Geotechnical properties of the deep marine sediment are important factors for assessing the safety of gas production facility and productivity from the hydrate bearing sediment. In this study, comprehensive laboratory tests are conducted to investigate the geotechnical engineering characteristics of the deep marine sediments recovered from the hydrate occurrence regions during the UBGH2 (Ulleung Basin Gas Hydrate Expedition 2) in the Ulleung Basin, East Sea, Korea. The index properties of the specimens including the specific gravity, atterberg limits, specific surface, and particle size distribution are measured, and these are compared to the results reported by previous studies. A zero-lateral strain cell, which houses bender elements, is used to determine stress-dependant characteristics and shear wave velocities with the vertical effective stresses. Furthermore, the hydraulic conductivity is calculated based on the consolidation test results.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.147-156
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• 2012

In recent years, many high-rise buildings have been constructed in irregular structural system with inclined columns, which may have effect on the structural behavior of beam-column joints. Since the external load leads to shear and flexural forces on the inclined columns in different way from those on the conventional vertical columns, failure mode, resistant strength, and ductility capacity of the inclined column-beam joints may be different than those of the perpendicular beam-column joints. In this study, six RC inclined beam-column joint specimens were tested. The main parameter of the specimens was the angle between axes of the column and beam (90, 67.5, and 45 degree). Test results indicated that the structural behavior of conventional perpendicular beam-column joint was different to that of the inclined beam-column joints, due to different loading conditions between inclined and perpendicular beam-column joints. Both upper and lower columns of perpendicular beam-column joints were subjected to compressive force, while the upper and lower columns of the inclined beam-column joints were subjected to tensile and compressive forces, respectively.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.19-26
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• 2021

The seismic isolation system have been applied in order to protect the collapse of bridge by seismic load and the vertical load transmitted from the superstructure. However, the failure and damages of non-shrinkage mortar, isolator and wedge in total 12 bridge were reported by Pohang Earthquake. In this study, the damage mechanism and behavior characteristics of elastomeric bearing by an earthquake were evaluated to consider the seismic isolation system including non-shrinkage mortar and the seat concrete of pier. To discuss the effect of installed wedge and damage mode of elastomeric bearing, the compressive-shear tests were carried out. Also, the mechanical behaviors and damage mechanism for each component of elastomeric bearing were evaluated by using finite element analysis. From the test results, the cracks were created at boundary between non-shrinkage mortar and seismic isolator and the shear loads were rapidly increased after bump into wedge. The cause for damage mechanism of seismic isolation system was investigated by comparing stress distribution of anchor socket and non-shrinkage mortar depending on wedge during earthquake.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.205-212
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• 2018

In order to overcome shortcomings of commercial analysis program for solving certain geotechnical problems, finite element method adopting isoparametric quadrilateral element was selected as a tool for analyzing soil behavior and calculating process was programmed. Two examples were considered in order to verify reliability of the developed program. One of the two examples is the case of acting isotropic confining pressure on finite element and the other is the case of acting shear stress on the sides of the finite element. Isoparametric quadrilateral element was considered as the finite element and displacements in the element can be expressed by node displacements and shape functions in the considered element. Calculating process for determining strain which is defined by derivatives using global coordinates was coded using the Jacobian and the natural coordinates. Four point Gauss rule was adopted to convert double integral which defines stiffness of the element into numerical integration. As a result of executing analysis of the finite element under isotropic confining pressure, calculated stress corresponding to four Gauss points and center of the element were equal to the confining pressure. In addition, according to the analyzed results for the element under shear stress, horizontal stresses and vertical stresses were varied with positions in the element and the magnitudes and distribution pattern of the stresses were thought to be rational.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.561-577
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• 2021

The compacted bentonite buffer in a geological repository for high-level radioactive waste disposal is saturated due to groundwater inflow. Saturation of the bentonite buffer results in bentonite swelling and bentonite penetration into the rock discontinuities present around the disposal hole. The penetrated bentonite is exposed to groundwater flow and can be eroded out of the repository, resulting in bentonite mass loss which can affect the physical integrity of the engineered barrier system. Hence, the evaluation of buffer-rock interactions and coupled behavior due to groundwater inflow and bentonite penetration is necessary to ensure long-term disposal safety. In this study, the effects of the bentonite penetration and swelling on the physical properties of jointed rock mass were evaluated using the quasi-static resonant column test. Jointed rock specimens with bentonite penetration were manufactured using Gyeongju bentonite and hollow cylindrical granite rock discs obtained from the KAERI underground research tunnel. The effects of vertical stress and saturation were assessed using the P-wave and S-wave velocities for intact rock, jointed rock and jointed rock with bentonite penetration specimens. The joint normal and joint shear stiffnesses of each joint condition were inferred from the wave velocity results assuming an equivalent continuum. The joint normal and joint shear stiffnesses obtained from this study can be used as input factors for future numerical analysis on the performance evaluation of geological waste disposal considering rock discontinuities.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.25 no.11
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• pp.105-115
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• 2009

The Jeju sand was sampled from the beach in Jeju Island and its basic properties were analyzed. The cementation effect of Jeju coastal sediments was evaluated from in-situ tests such as SPT, CPT, and the Suspension-PS test. It was shown from test results that the Jeju sand has high extreme void ratios due to the angularity of grains and the intra-particle voids of hollow particles, similar to typical calcareous sands. From cone penetration test in the calibration chamber, it was found that the cone resistance($q_c$)-relative density($D_R$)-vertical effective stress(${\sigma}_v'$) relation of Jeju sand almost matches that of high compressible quartz sand. However, the $q_C-D_R-{\sigma}_v'$ correlation suggested for uncemented Jeju sand overestimates the relative density of coastal sediments of Jeju Island due to the cementation effect. From the analysis of the relation of cone resistance, N value, and small strain shear modulus measured in-situ, it seems reasonable to assume that the coastal sediment of Jeju Island is a naturally cemented one.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.295-306
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• 2010

Contrary to an intact rock, the jointed rock mass shows strain-dependent deformation characteristics (elastic modulus and damping ratio). The maximum elastic modulus of a rock mass can be obtained from an elastic wave-based exploration in a small strain level and applied to seismic analyses. However, the assessment and application of the non-linear characteristics of rock masses in a small to medium strain level ($10^{-4}{\sim}0.5%$) have not been carried out yet. A non-linear dynamic analysis module is newly developed for FLAC3D to simulate strain-dependent shear modulus degradation and damping ratio amplification characteristics. The developed module is verified by analyzing the change of the Ricker wave propagation. Strain-dependent non-linear characteristics are obtained from disks of cored samples using a rock mass dynamic testing apparatus which can evaluate wave propagation characteristics in a jointed rock column. Using the experimental results and the developed non-linear dynamic module, seismic analyses are performed for the intersection of a shaft and an inclined tunnel. The numerical results show that vertical and horizontal displacements of non-linear analyses are larger than those of linear analyses. Also, non-linear analyses induce bigger bending compressive stresses acting on the lining. The bending compressive stress concentrates at the intersection part. The fundamental understanding of a strain-dependent jointed rock mass behavior is achieved in this study and the analytical procedure suggested can be effectively applied to field designs and analyses.