• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.91-103
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• 2009

Slope failure depends upon the climatic features related to related rainfall, structural geology and geomorphological features as well as the variation of the mechanical behaviors of soil constituting a slope. In this paper, among many variables, effects of soil layer thickness on the slope failure process, and variations of matric suction and volumetric water content were observed. When the soil layer is relatively thick, the descending wetting front decreases matric suction and the observed matric suction reaches to "0" value. When the wetting front reaches to the impermeable boundary, the bottom surface of steel soil box, ascending wetting front was observed. This observation can be postulated to be the effects of various sizes of pores. When macro size pores exist, the capillary effects can be reduced and infilling of pore will be limited. The partially filled pores would be filled with water during the ascending of the wetting front, which bounces from the impermeable boundary. This assumption has been assured from the observation of variation of the volumetric water contents at different depth. When the soil layer is thick (thickness = 20 cm), for granular material, erosion is a cause triggering the slope failure. It has been found that the initiation of erosion occurs when the top soil is fully saturated. Meanwhile, when the soil layer is shallow (thickness = 10 cm), slope slides as en mass. The slope failure for this condition occurs when the wetting front reaches to the interface between the soil layer and steel soil box. As the wetting front approaches to the bottom of soil layer, reduction of shear resistance along the boundary and increase of the unit weight due to the infiltration occur and these produce complex effects on the slope failure processes.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.759-769
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• 2013

Electronic equipment has been applied to virtually every area associated with commercial, industrial, and military applications. Specifically, electronics have been incorporated into avionics components installed in aircraft. This equipment is exposed to dynamic loads such as vibration, shock, and acceleration. Especially, avionics components installed in a helicopter are subjected to simultaneous sine and random base excitations. These are denoted as sine on random vibrations according to MIL-STD-810F, Method 514.5. In the past, isolators have been applied to avionics components to reduce vibration and shock. However, an isolator applied to an avionics component installed in a helicopter can amplify the vibration magnitude, and damage the chassis, circuit card assembly, and the isolator itself via resonance at low-frequency sinusoidal vibrations. The objective of this study is to investigate the dynamic characteristics of an avionics component installed in a helicopter and the structural dynamic modification of its tray plate without an isolator using both a finite element analysis and experiments. The structure is optimized by dynamic loads that are selected by comparing the vibration, shock, and acceleration loads using vibration and shock response spectra. A finite element model(FEM) was constructed using a simplified geometry and valid element types that reflect the dynamic characteristics. The FEM was verified by an experimental modal analysis. Design parameters were extracted and selected to modify the structural dynamics using topology optimization, and design of experiments(DOE). A prototype of a modified model was constructed and its feasibility was evaluated using an FEM and a performance test.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.103-112
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• 2002

Despite the ecological importance of potentially phytotoxic $Al_{13}$-tridecamer and its formation in the simulated condition, it was not recognized in the natural soil environment. Here we performed thermodynamic calculations to examine the stability condition of $Al_{13}$-tridecamer based on the solubility of AI in the Bo horizon of Andisols, Jeju Island, dominantly composed of AI-containing solid phases such as $Al(OH)_{3}$, proto-imogolite and/or imogolite. We have found that $Al(OH)_{3}$, proto-imogolite and/or imogolite may control Al solubility in the moderate acid condition. It means that AI total activity of the soil solution equilibrated with these solid phases ranges from $10^{-6}$ ~ $10^{-8}$M in the pH 5 to 7. Calculations based on the thermodynamic data strongly indicate that the formation of $Al_{13}$-tridecamer closely related to the total activity of AI in the system. For example, for the formation of $Al_{13}$-tridecamer of $10^{-5}$M, Al total activity of $3{\times}10^{-3}$M are needed at pH 4, and $2{\times}10^{-5}$M in the pH 5 to 7. Therefore, this research and the thermodynamic consideration suggest strongly that $Al_{13}$-tridecamer should be negligible in natural soils, especially Andisols and Spodosols, These mainly contain $Al(OH)_{3}$, proto-imogolite and/or imogolite, which could prevent the formation of $Al_{13}$-tridecamer by controlling the AI total activity low. It means that the toxicity of $Al_{13}$-tridecamer with the increase of soil acidification may be considered to be definitely low.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.603-618
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• 2023

This study focused on evaluating the suitability of the WRK (waste repository Korea) bentonite as a buffer material in the SNF (spent nuclear fuel) repository. The U (uranium) adsorption/desorption characteristics and the adsorption mechanisms of the WRK bentonite were presented through various analyses, adsorption/desorption experiments, and kinetic adsorption modeling at various pH conditions. Mineralogical and structural analyses supported that the major mineral of the WRK bentonite is the Ca-montmorillonite having the great possibility for the U adsorption. From results of the U adsorption/desorption experiments (intial U concentration: 1 mg/L) for the WRK bentonite, despite the low ratio of the WRK bentonite/U (2 g/L), high U adsorption efficiency (>74%) and low U desorption rate (<14%) were acquired at pH 5, 6, 10, and 11 in solution, supporting that the WRK bentonite can be used as the buffer material preventing the U migration in the SNF repository. Relatively low U adsorption efficiency (<45%) for the WRK bentonite was acquired at pH 3 and 7 because the U exists as various species in solution depending on pH and thus its U adsorption mechanisms are different due to the U speciation. Based on experimental results and previous studies, the main U adsorption mechanisms of the WRK bentonite were understood in viewpoint of the chemical adsorption. At the acid conditions (＜pH 3), the U is apt to adsorb as forms of UO₂²⁺, mainly due to the ionic bond with Si-O or Al-O(OH) present on the WRK bentonite rather than the ion exchange with Ca²⁺ among layers of the WRK bentonite, showing the relatively low U adsorption efficiency. At the alkaline conditions (>pH 7), the U could be adsorbed in the form of anionic U-hydroxy complexes (UO₂(OH)₃^-, UO₂(OH)₄^2-, (UO₂)₃(OH)₇^-, etc.), mainly by bonding with oxygen (O^-) from Si-O or Al-O(OH) on the WRK bentonite or by co-precipitation in the form of hydroxide, showing the high U adsorption. At pH 7, the relatively low U adsorption efficiency (42%) was acquired in this study and it was due to the existence of the U-carbonates in solution, having relatively high solubility than other U species. The U adsorption efficiency of the WRK bentonite can be increased by maintaining a neutral or highly alkaline condition because of the formation of U-hydroxyl complexes rather than the uranyl ion (UO₂²⁺) in solution,and by restraining the formation of U-carbonate complexes in solution.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.156-166
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• 2000

This study was carried out to provide the information on seasonal variations of water content under highway asphalt pavements which influence on the dynamic behaviour and durability of pavements, and to assess the correlation between water content and soil or meteorological factors. Total eight sites for water content measurement which included fives sites in Kyungbu, two sites in Honam, and one site in Youngdong Highway were selected considering the variations in geology, topology and meteorology factors over all the country. Water contents under asphalt pavements were measured up to 170 cm depth every two week for total 13 months of August 1992 through September 1993 using neutron moisture meter(CPN-503DR). The range of water content ($\theta$$_{w}$) at the upper soils of above 50 cm depth was 7~12% and was not quite different regardless of sites, except for Iseo site. However, soil water contents below 60 or 70 cm depth were significantly different between the measurement sites, that is, the lowest water content was 5% at Kyungsan site and the highest water content was 20% at Iseo site. For all the sites, seasonal variations in water content during the experimental period were little, their range was within only 1 to 4%. Seasonal variations of water content in original or cutting area, which were 4% more or less, were slightly larger than in bedding areas, which were below 2%. Water contents under asphalt pavements had statistically significant positive correlations with silt and clay content in soil, but there were little correlations between water content and meteorological factors such as precipitation, relative humidity, mean air temperature, and wind velocity.