• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.375-384
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• 2022

The glacial tills and shales in Midwestern states of the USA often show strength degradation after construction. They are often in need of applying soil modification techniques to remediate their strength degradation with weathering process. This study investigated the weathering durability of these natural soils and biopolymer treated soils by comparing direct shear test results for wet-dry and wet-freeze-thaw-dry cycled specimens. The tests showed that untreated glacial tills maintained only 62% and 50% initial shear strength after eight wet-dry cycles and eight wet-freeze-thaw-dry cycles, respectively. These untreated soils could not withstand by themselves after 16 weathering cycles. The same soils treated with 1.5% (by dry weight) food-grade Xanthan gum maintained 140% and 88% initial shear strength of untreated soils after 16 weathering cycles for wet-dry cycles and wet-freeze-thaw-dry cycles, respectively. The same soils treated with 1.5% (by dry weight) Gellan gum maintained 82% and 60% initial shear strength of untreated ones after 16 weathering cycles, respectively. Similar results were obtained for crushed shales, manifesting that the biopolymerization method may be adopted as a new eco-friendly method to enhance the weathering durability of these problematic soils of glacial tills and shales.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.86 no.5
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• pp.607-619
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• 2023

This study, it was tried to evaluate the asphalt behavior under tensile loading conditions through indirect Brazilian and direct tensile tests, experimentally and numerically. This paper is important from two points of view. The first one, a new test method was developed for the determination of the direct tensile strength of asphalt and its difference was obtained from the indirect test method. The second one, the effects of particle size and loading rate have been cleared on the tensile fracture mechanism. The experimental direct tensile strength of the asphalt specimens was measured in the laboratory using the compression-to-tensile load converting (CTLC) device. Some special types of asphalt specimens were prepared in the form of slabs with a central hole. The CTLC device is then equipped with this specimen and placed in the universal testing machine. Then, the direct tensile strength of asphalt specimens with different sizes of ingredients can be measured at different loading rates in the laboratory. The particle flow code (PFC) was used to numerically simulate the direct tensile strength test of asphalt samples. This numerical modeling technique is based on the versatile discrete element method (DEM). Three different particle diameters were chosen and were tested under three different loading rates. The results show that when the loading rate was 0.016 mm/sec, two tensile cracks were initiated from the left and right of the hole and propagated perpendicular to the loading axis till coalescence to the model boundary. When the loading rate was 0.032 mm/sec, two tensile cracks were initiated from the left and right of the hole and propagated perpendicular to the loading axis. The branching occurs in these cracks. This shows that the crack propagation is under quasi-static conditions. When the loading rate was 0.064 mm/sec, mixed tensile and shear cracks were initiated below the loading walls and branching occurred in these cracks. This shows that the crack propagation is under dynamic conditions. The loading rate increases and the tensile strength increases. Because all defects mobilized under a low loading rate and this led to decreasing the tensile strength. The experimental results for the direct tensile strengths of asphalt specimens of different ingredients were in good accordance with their corresponding results approximated by DEM software.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.16 no.2 s.61
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• pp.146-155
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• 2006

The target slope of this study, formed during the construction of highway, is the very high infinite slope where sliding began along the discontinuity. Although an attempt was made to stabilize the upper part of the slope by installing the rock anchors, large scale failure was occurred at the lower part if the reinforced area. Afterwards, subsequent failures were observed two times. To investigate the cause of the failure, residual shear strength was measured by performing the direct shear test of rock specimen of the site. The anchor design was based on the pull-out test. Considering the slope surface where the undulation was severe and the variation of strength was very large, buttressing was used to obtain the required anchoring capacity.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2009.03a
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• pp.782-791
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• 2009

This study was carried out the laboratory tests and field plate load test in order to evaluate the reinforcement effect of geocell for road construction. The geocell-reinforced subgrade shows the increment of cohesion and friction angle with comprison of non-reinforced subgrade. In addition, the field plate load test was performed on the geocell-reinforced subgrade to estimate the bearing capacity of soil. The direct shear test was conducted with utilizing a large-scale shear box to evaluate the internal soil friction angle with geocell reinforcement. The number of cells in the geocell system is varied to investigate the effect of soil reinforcement. The theoretical bearing capacity of subgrade soil with and without geocell reinforcement was estimated by using the soil internal friction angle. The field plate load tests were also conducted to estimate the bearing capacity with geocell reinforcement. It is found out that the bearing capacity of geocell-reinforced subgrade gives 2 times higher value than that of unreinforced subgrade soil. In the future, the reinforcement effect of the geocell rigidity and load-balancing effect of the geocells should be evaluated.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.573-594
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• 2024

This article presents a research study, with both laboratory and field tests, of a deep foundation in a markedly anisotropic medium. Particularly it has focused on the evaluation of the behavior of a pile, one meter in diameter, embedded in a rocky environment with difficult conditions, in the Flysch of the Spanish city of San Sebastián. To carry out the research, the site of a bridge over the Urumea River was chosen, which was supported by pre-excavated reinforced concrete piles. 4 borings were carried out, by the rotation and washing method, with continuous sampling and combined with flexible dilatometer tests. In the field, an Osterberg load test (O-cell) was performed, while in the laboratory, determinations of natural moisture, natural unit weight, uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), point load strength (PLS), compressive wave propagation velocity (V_c) and also triaxial and direct shear tests were carried out. The research results indicate the following: a) the empirical functions that correlate the UCS with the PLS are not always linear; b) for the studied Flysch it is possible to obtain empirical functions that correlate the UCS with the PLS and with the V_c; c) the bearing capacity of the studied Flysch is much greater than if it is evaluated by different load capacity theories; d) it is possible to propose an empirical function that allows evaluating the mobilized shear strength (τ_m), as a function of the UCS and the displacement relative of the pile (δ_r).

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.295-312
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• 2017

Cast in situ and grouted concrete helical piles with 150-200 mm diameter half cylindrical ribs have become an economical and effective choice in Shanghai, China for uplift piles in deep soft soils. Though this type of pile has been successful used in practice, the reinforcing mechanism and the contribution of the ribs to the total resistance is not clear, and there is no clear guideline for the design of such piles. To study the inclusion of ribs to the contribution of shear resistance, the shear behaviour between silty sand and concrete slabs with parallel ribs at different spacing and angles were tested in a large direct shear box ($600mm{\times}400mm{\times}200mm$). The front panels of the shear box are detachable to observe the soil deformation after the test. The tests were modelled with three-dimensional finite element method in ABAQUS. It was found that, passive zones can be developed ahead of the ribs to form undulated failure surfaces. The shear resistance and failure mode are affected by the ratio of rib spacing to rib diameter. Based on the shape and continuity of the failure zones at the interface, the failure modes at the interface can be classified as "punching", "local" or "general" shear failure respectively. With the inclusion of the ribs, the pull out resistance can increase up to 17%. The optimum rib spacing to rib diameter ratio was found to be around 7 based on the observed experimental results and the numerical modelling.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2004.03b
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• pp.958-967
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• 2004

This paper deal with cause and analysis about case of collapsed reinforced-soil retaining wall. The analysis of the cause was carried through experimentation, slop stability analysis and literature study. The experimentation treated the large direct shear test, the hydraulic conductivity test and the other basic test through backfill extracted from collapsed reinforced-soil retaining wall. The ultimate tensile strength was established by rib tensile strength test of geogrid. The analysis of internal and external stability of reinforced-soil retaining wall was performed on the basis of parameters. The result of analysis, reinforced-soil retaining wall and the slope at the dry season are stable. However, the factors that fine-grained soil at hydrometer test exceed the standard of the design, rainfall duration is too long at the time of collapse and monthly pricipitation is heavy are cause of the collapse.

• Proceedings of the Korean Fiber Society Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.267-270
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• 2003

일반적으로 토목 공사에서 구조의 보강 용도로 주로 사용되는 지오그리드(geogrids)는 우수한 인장 탄성계수와 인장강력을 지니고 있어서 하중이 집중적으로 작용하는 토목 구조물에서 보강기능을 원활히 수행하는 보강재료 이지만, 비교적 큰 격자상 외관 구조를 가지므로 지오그리드를 관통하는 각종 물질, 특히 함유 수분과 세립질 토양의 이동이나 유실 등을 효과적으로 제어하지 못한다는 단점도 있어 사용상의 제약이 있다. (중략)

• Journal of Industrial Technology
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• v.23 no.A
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• pp.149-156
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• 2003

The development and maintenance of a sound bond are essential requirements of concrete repair and replacement. The bond property of a overlay to its substrate concrete during the lifetime is one of the most important performance requirements which should be quantified. A standard or a verified bond strength measurement method is required at field for screening, selecting materials and quality control for overlay or repair materials, but no test method has been adopted as a standard. In this study, a concrete pull off bond strength measurement method for field application is proposed and evaluated. This study compares the splitting tensile test, slant shear test, nipple pipe direct tensile test, flexural adhesion test, briquette tensile test, jumbo nail pull-out test and core pull-off test with their test procedures. From these comparison and investigation, core pull-off test is selected as a main topic of this study because of it's suitability for in situ testing, simplicities in field application and clearness at interface boundary condition. Thus, the proposed core pull off test is evaluated to be the most appropriate method for field application in a simple manner. The fracture surface and fracture mode could be easily determined by visual observation of failure surface of the field specimen. The core pull off test was found to be sensitive to surface condition and latex contents at latex modified concrete.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.99-106
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• 2004

Although fly ash has possesses viable engineering properties, an overwhelming majority of fly ash from coal combustion is still placed in storage or disposal sites. This study was undertaken to investigate the physical and mechanical properties of clay-fly ash mixture and to furnish engineering data when fly ash utilized as engineering materials. This paper includes geotechnical properties of fly ash, clay-fly ash mixtures and results of compaction test, unconfined strength test, direct shear test, leaching test and stability analysis of clay-fly ash bank slope. If proper amount of fly ash was put in clay, the clay-fly ash mixture has an increase of unconfined strength and stability of bank slope.