• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.120-128
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• 2022

There are 17,000 reservoir dams in Korea, of which more than 85% were built over 50 years ago. Old embankment dams are weakened by internal erosion and suffusion phenomena due to preferential leakage paths and this ongoing weakening can cause their failure. Therefore, early warning associated with leakage in an embankment dam is crucial to prevent its failure. An electrical resistivity survey is a non-destructive, real-time and in-situ technique for detecting the development of leakage zones and general conditions of embankment dams. Because of its advantages, the electrical resistivity survey is widely used for reservoir safety inspections. However, the electrical resistivity survey is still not officially included in the precise safety inspection of reservoir dams because it cannot present a quantitative index of dam safety. In this study, we propose a method for calculating the leak index according to the water content evaluated from the electrical resistivity survey and/or induced polarization survey. Particularly, by proposing a quantitative leak index calculation method from monitoring surveys and independent surveys, we provide a theoretical basis for including electrical resistivity and induced polarization surveys as components of the precise safety inspection of reservoirs dams.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.397-406
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• 2010

Resistivity method is a practical and effective geophysical technique to detect leakage zones in embankment dams. Generally, resistivity survey conducted along the crest assumes that the embankment dam has a 2D structure. However, the 3D topography of the embankment distorts significantly resistivity data measured on anywhere of the dam. This study evaluates the influence from 3D effects created by specific dam geometry and effects of water level fluctuations through the 3D finite element modeling technique. Also, a comparison between different locations of survey line are carried out, and topographic correction technique is developed for the resistivity data obtained along the embankment dam. Furthermore, using synthetic resistivity data for an embankment dam model with leakage zone, detectability of leakage zones is estimated through 2.5D inversion.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.787-799
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• 2017

Although the long-term leakage between the box culvert and the soil contact surface is one of the main causes of the failure in the embankment of the reservoir, there is a little studies on this matter. If a leakage occurs by the structure such as the buried box culvert of reservoir embankment is partially damaged, it is difficult to observe and there is a possibility of damage caused by piping. For these reasons, more research is necessary. In this study, the embankment type of the reservoir is divided into the core type and the homogeneous type when the damaged box culvert passing through the embankment of the reservoir is leaked due to the differential behavior of materials like differential settlement. In view of the condition, the seepage analysis of 2D was performed according to the water level change. The result of the study shows that the possibility of piping increases at the upper part rather than the bottom part of the box culvert when the leakage occurs to the box culvert passing through the embankment of the reservoir. Particularly, it is considered that the presence of the core helps to maintain the seepage stability of the embankment in case where the leakage occurs at the downstream side of the embankment. Also, if there is a drastic decrease on the internal pore water pressure in the embankment of reservoir, it is necessary to consider the possibility of piping.

• 한국지구물리탐사학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1999.08a
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• pp.240-257
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• 1999

More than 16 percent of the total 18,032 reservoirs over the country were reported to have leakage problems and need to be improved. Recently, a great deal of progress was made in geophysical survey techniques, particularly in electrical resistivity, and the techniques are used for variety of Purposes in groundwater and dam management due to its economical advantages. This document describes the re-evaluation of existing resistivity data including newly surveyed data, mapping of modeled value in 2-D analysis to locate seepage pathways, This contains also discussion results of more than eighteen years of professional experiences in the field of dam efficiency improvement. In comparison of surface resistivity data with several soil analysis data in laboratory, it is evident that the surface resistivity value shows a qualitative proportionality with the sand contents of the filling materials in earth dam. The result from the study also indicates that the SP method in subsurface investigation is effective to detect seepage in earth filled dam as well as piping through rock/earthfill dike.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.92-96
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• 2005

Comprehensive field surveys, including various hydrogeological and geophysical methods, were carried out to appraise the applicability of those methods to a leakage problem at the Sandong earth fill dam in southwestern Korea. The methods applied in the fold site were tracer tests, monitoring of drawdown and leakage with discharge of reservoir water, electrical resistivity surveys using the dipole-dipole array, self-potential (SP), and temperature logging methods. The leakage pattern in the reservoir wall was demonstrated by hydrogeological methods and was further clarified by the geophysical surveys. Leakage turned out to be through the right abutment of the reservoir wall. In this study, we conformed that the electrical resistivity method is effective in detecting the zones favorable to leakage, and SP methods are useful for delineating the leakage pathways themselves, because leaks generate strong streaming-potential anomalies.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.291-298
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• 2006

Resistivity method is a practical and effective geophysical technique to detect leakage zones in embankment dams. Generally, resistivity survey conducted along the crest assumes that the embankment dam has a 2D structure. However, the 3D topography of embankments distorts significantly resistivity data measured on anywhere of the dam. In this study, we analyse the influence from 3D effects created by specific dam geometry through the 3D finite element modeling technique. We compared 3D effects when resistivity surveys are carried out on the upstream slope, left edge of the crest, center of the crest, right edge of the crest and downstream slope. We ensure that 3D effect is greatly different according to the location of the survey line and data obtained on the downstream slope are most greatly influenced by 3D dam geometry. Also, resistivity data are more influenced by the electrical resistivity of materials constituting reservoir than 3D effects due to specific dam geometry. Furthermore, using resistivity data synthesized with 3D modeling program for an embankment dam model with leakage zone, we analyse the possibility of leakages detection from 2D resistivity surveys performed along the embankment dam.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.177-183
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• 2005

The subject of this paper is research into the application of electrical resistivity monitoring to detecting the water leakage of water utilization facilities. For this purpose, we installed a comprehensive monitoring system consisting of resistivity measurement, inclinometer, piezometer, and water gauge at an embankment. Using this monitoring system, we monitored the various kinds of measurement data and compared the resistivity structures and that of hydrological and engineering data in order to investigate the water leakage and stability of the embankment. The variant images of electrical resistivity at the embankment were provided from the monitoring data and we could accurately locate the portion of which resistivities have sharply changed. Furthermore, we could estimate the stability of the embankment more effectively and quantitatively by jointly interpreting the monitoring data of resistivity, water level, pore water pressure, and subsurface displacement. The monitoring experiments in this study led us to the conclusion that for the efficient maintenance of the water utilization facilities, monitoring the resistivity data and hydrological data would be much more preferable to performing the just one-time measurements.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.5-13
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• 2013

The water leakage of reservoir embankment usually occurs around channelling pipes, which gives little influence on the embankment in a normal state. However, the embankment can be destroyed when the water level of reservoir increases with heavy rain and the rainy season in summer. Investigating the water vein and its path is therefore very important from the viewpoint of disaster prevention and embankment maintenance. The water leakage in dams and levees where the channelling pipes are working as weak zone was analyzed by using both numerical simulation and experimental method in this study. To detect the water leakage, an electrical resistivity survey was used and investigated for its' usability. The numerical results show the size and location of weak zone increases the importance of selection of electrode spacing. The leakage experiments of model embankment present the best result is obtained under the conditions of electrode spacing of 0.3m and dipole-dipole array. By studying the water leakage in dams and levees, the electrical resistivity survey is observed it is a very useful method to predict the leakage.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.99-106
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• 2019

Resistivity method has been used for the dam safety inspection and, for the convenience of fieldwork, two-dimensional (2D) resistivity data has been usually measured along the dam crest. However, since the dam has three-dimensional (3D) structure, 2D resistivity survey along the dam crest violates 2D assumption and 3D effects caused by 3D topography and material properties in the dam distort the inversion result of 2D resistivity data acquired along the dam crest. Furthermore, it is really hard to evaluate the 3D structure of the dam and 3D leakage pathway using 2D resistivity survey because 2D resistivity survey can provide only 2D resistivity section beneath the survey line. In this study, 3D resistivity survey was conducted at a dam in Korea. By comparing the results from 3D and 2D resistivity surveys, merit and demerits of 3D survey were investigated. Finally, it was confirmed that 3D survey can provide more accurate information about the dam status and 3D leakage pathway compared to the 2D survey. Therefore the 3D resistivity survey should be actively expanded for more accurate dam safety inspection even though more time and expense are required.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.257-261
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• 2002

We have carried out integrated research including field survey and numerical modeling to appraise the applicability of SP method to the leakage problems of irrigation facilities. The leakage pattern of the dike studied here can be classified into the three categories: leakage through the abutment, leakage by piping through dike, and leakage due to the composite effects of landslide and distortion of the dike structure. for the numerical modeling to interpret quantitatively SP survey results acquired at dike, we have modified the computer code proposed by Sill (1983) to apply to the leakage problems. The numerical studies match the characteristic patterns of SP anomalies according to the leakage types and appear to be very useful to interpret the leakage zone and path. The SP monitoring results were also well coincided with tidal variations observed at every embankment so we found the SP method is quite effective not only to detect the leakage zone but also to determine the leakage trend. The numerical modeling results also reproduced the SP anomalies due to seawater leakage in the embankment.