• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.739-752
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• 2017

This study was intended to evaluate the improved strength of the ground by applying the bio grouting method to a loose sandy ground. The injection material was prepared in the form of cement-like powder, with the bio injection material produced by microbial reactions. The grouting test was conducted under the conditions similar to the field where the bio injection material can be applied. In addition, the injection materials (cement and sodium silicate No. 3) used for Labile Waterglass (LW) method and the conventional grouting methodwere prepared through a two-solution one-step process. The injection into the specimens was done at a pressure of 150 kPa and then, with a bender element, their moduliof elasticity were measured on the 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th curingdays to analyze their strengths according to the duration of curing. It was confirmed that in all injection materials the moduli of elasticity increased over time. In particular, when 30% of the bio injection material was added to 100% cement, the modulus of elasticity tended to increase by about 15%. This confirmed that the applicability became higher when the bio injection material was used in place of the conventional sodium silicate.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.47-54
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• 2017

This study aims to develop a bio-grouting material in a powder form like cement. Sand gel samples were produced with the ratio of sodium silicate No.3 to water (50 : 50, 35 : 65, 20 : 80), and the ratio of cement to bio-grouting material (100 : 0, 90 : 10, 70 : 30) to select a mixing ratio of bio-grouting, respectively, and then analyzed the geltime over time. The uniaxial compressive strength was evaluated to select and suggest a mixing ratio optimized for construction conditions. The indoor test reveals that preferred geltime and uniaxial compressive strength is obtained in 35 : 65 with respect to the ratio of sodium silicate No.3 to water, and 90 : 10 with respect to the ratio of cement to bio-grouting material to demonstrate best optimal mixing ratios.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.31-40
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• 2021

Injection grouting is one of the most common ground improvement practice to increase the strength and reduce the hydraulic conductivity of soils. Owing to the environmental concerns of conventional grout materials, such as cement-based or silicate-based materials, bio-inspired biogeotechnical approaches are considered to be new sustainable and environmentally friendly ground improvement methods. Biopolymers, which are excretory products from living organisms, have been shown to significantly reduce the hydraulic conductivity via pore-clogging and increase the strength of soils. To study the practical application of biopolymers for seepage and ground water control, in this study, we explored the injection capabilities of biopolymer-based grout materials in both linear aperture and particulate media (i.e., sand and glassbeads) considering different injection pressures, biopolymer concentrations, and flow channel geometries. The hydraulic conductivity control of a biopolymer-based grout material was evaluated after injection into sandy soil under confined boundary conditions. The results showed that the performance of xanthan gum injection was mainly affected by the injection pressure and pore geometry (e.g., porosity) inside the soil. Additionally, with an increase in the xanthan gum concentration, the injection efficiency diminished while the hydraulic conductivity reduction efficiency enhanced significantly. The results of this study provide the potential capabilities of injection grouting to be performed with biopolymer-based materials for field application.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.5-12
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• 2018

Underground cavities could induce road subsidence, which have been frequently observed in urban areas. Therefore, adequate backfilling materials and the restoring methods of the cavities are required to prevent the road subsidence. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the suitability of backfilling methods using foaming lightweight grouting materials considering the flow values, unit weights, and air contents at slurry and expanded states, and unconfined compressive strengths. The grouting materials consist of water, cement, and foaming agent whose proportions of water, cement, and foaming agent are 25: 25: 1.0 and 25: 25: 1.2. The flow values of the two materials are greater than 200 mm, and their unconfined compressive strengths at 28 days age are smaller than 1.3 MPa. From the results, the two proportions of materials are expected to be effectively used as a backfilling material. However, the material components should be carefully mixed because poor mix of these materials could induce non-homogeneous distribution of air bubbles. The unexpectedly non-homogeneous distribution of air bubbles may induce significant cracks or additional cavities.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Railway
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.473-481
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• 2013

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the improvements in the strength and injection range of loose ground after injecting $CaCO_3$(created by microorganism reaction). For this purpose, three cases of single-layer (Sand, SP, SW) specimens were made in a 150mm D ${\times}$ 200mm H space and two cases of multi-layer specimens (SW/SP, SP/SW) were made in a 150mm D ${\times}$ 300mm H space. The specimens were made with a relative density of 30% of soft ground and an injection was given over a time of one day. The uniaxial compression strength was measured with a cone penetrometer and the injection range was observed by checking the bulb formation around the injection nozzle. Also, the compositions of the specimens were assessed through XRD analyses. Based on the test results, a compressive strength of 500kPa and 15cm thick cementation were noted due to the cementation of the soil. This implies that there are significant effects of the pore condition and size on bio-grouting technology.